An Embodied Companion for Visual Storytelling

TL;DR

This paper introduces Companion, an AI-driven drawing robot integrated with Large Language Models, enabling dynamic, bidirectional artistic collaboration that enhances visual storytelling and produces aesthetically distinct artworks.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel embodied AI system that combines LLMs with robotic drawing for real-time, playful co-creation in visual storytelling, shifting AI from passive tool to active artistic partner.

Findings

System produces artworks with a unique aesthetic identity.

Expert panel confirms artworks have professional exhibition merit.

Demonstrates AI's potential as a capable artistic collaborator.

Abstract

As artificial intelligence shifts from pure tool for delegation toward agentic collaboration, its use in the arts can shift beyond the exploration of machine autonomy toward synergistic co-creation. While our earlier robotic works utilized automation to distance the artist's intent from the final mark, we present Companion: an artistic apparatus that integrates a drawing robot with Large Language Models (LLMs) to re-center human-machine presence. By leveraging in-context learning and real-time tool use, the system engages in bidirectional interaction via speech and sketching. This approach transforms the robot from a passive executor into a playful co-creative partner capable of driving shared visual storytelling into unexpected aesthetic territories. To validate this collaborative shift, we employed the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) with a panel of seven art-world experts. Results confirm that the system produces works with a distinct aesthetic identity and professional exhibition merit, demonstrating the potential of AI as a highly capable artistic collaborator.