Ein Typenrad auf der \"Uberholspur: Die Kult-Schreibmaschine "Erika" trifft KI

TL;DR

This paper presents an interactive project where an old typewriter is connected to a large language model chatbot, helping users understand AI's capabilities, limitations, and social implications through hands-on experience.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, tangible interface combining vintage technology with modern AI to facilitate public engagement and insights into AI perceptions.

Findings

Over 1,200 participants engaged with the typewriter-LLM interface.

Participants gained better understanding of AI's possibilities and limitations.

The project stimulated discussions on AI's social impact.

Abstract

In the 15th century, printing revolutionized the dissemination of information. Innovations such as typewriters and computers have increased the speed and volume of information flows over time. More recent developments in large language models such as ChatGPT enable text to be generated in a matter of seconds. However, many people do not understand how this works and what the long-term implications are. That is why we have "hacked" an old typewriter so that users can interact with an LLM chatbot, which over 1,200 participants have now been able to experience. It helps to understand the possibilities and limitations of AI. It gives us researchers insights into participants' concepts of AI as well as their expectations and concerns. It raises questions about these technological developments and stimulates discussions about the social impact of the intensification and acceleration of information and communication flows.