Understanding
Creative Connections
Through Relational Artifacts
An experiment study blending human interaction, AI dialogue, and artistic exploration to uncover new perspectives on agency and co-creation in the evolving human-machine relationship.
Overview
How can we explore notions of creative collaboration through relational artifacts like Artificial intelligence?
Can AI truly be a creative collaborator?
To explore these questions, ten design students come together for a series of conversations—but with a twist.
Building on the psychological study “36 Questions to Generate Intimacy”, this experiment pairs human participants with an AI language model. However, instead of conversing directly with AI, the generated responses are printed and spoken aloud by a human proxy, making AI an invisible partner in the dialogue.
From disappointment and curiosity to unexpected emotional resonance, the film visually explores how we negotiate meaning, presence, and connection in an era where humans increasingly co-exist with an emerging digital species.
This filmed experiment serves as the foundation for an in-depth research study offering new insights into co-creation, role negotiation, and AI's performativity in collaborative settings.
![LG_TheNewSchool_Final_[Longform].01_02_32_20.Still024.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1aa72c_c66fb3e137e543e989b590bb991aa3eb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_551,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/1aa72c_c66fb3e137e543e989b590bb991aa3eb~mv2.jpg)
Experiment
Study Structure & Participants
The following are the main components of the experiment:
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Two participants per session: One as themselves (Human), one as a proxy for AI (AI Proxy).
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10 structured questions: Inspired by “36 Questions to Generate Intimacy” to encourage reflection, vulnerability, and connection.
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AI-generated responses: The proxy participant printed and read aloud AI’s text outputs, integrating AI into the conversation without direct interaction.
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Pre- and post-experiment interviews: These capture participants' initial expectations, emotional reactions, and reflections after engaging in the dialogue.
10 Questions:
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Describe your perfect day.
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What excites you these days?
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What is the earliest memory you have of creating something meaningful to you?
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What have you always wanted to do but haven't yet? Why not?
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Who would you choose if you could collaborate with anyone in the world, dead or alive? And why?
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How would you describe your creative process?
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What’s something you learned recently that shifted your perspective?
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When was the last time you felt vulnerable because of your work? And why?
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Complete this sentence: “I wish I had a creative partner with whom I could share…”
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What is something you already like about me?
![LG_TheNewSchool_Final_[Longform].01_00_21_04.Still006.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1aa72c_7d5d46c9ebe24cf29a40a81e1e459bdc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_258,h_145,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/1aa72c_7d5d46c9ebe24cf29a40a81e1e459bdc~mv2.jpg)
Insights
Through pre- and post-experiment interviews, participant reflections, and conversational dynamics, the study revealed emergent patterns in how humans engage, negotiate, and respond to AI.
AI as a Presence, Not Just a Tool
Despite AI’s absence as a physical entity, its responses shaped the interaction in real-time, making it an active but unseen conversational partner. Participants subconsciously attributed intent to AI’s responses, even when they knew it was simply generating text.
“I caught myself wanting to ask AI a question back, as if it had something real to share.”
— Participant 3
“It wasn’t just text. It had a presence. The words felt like they carried weight in the room.”
— Participant 7
Negotiating Agency: Reading AI vs. Being AI
The AI proxy participants struggled with detachment, often unconsciously adding their own expressions or emotions while reading AI’s words. Many found it difficult to assume a purely neutral, non-human role.
“I wanted to respond as myself. I felt like I was performing something unnatural.”
— Participant 2
“I kept thinking: Should I be neutral? Should I act like AI? What’s my role in this?”
— Participant 8
This revealed the fluid nature of agency, as participants struggled between embodying AI and asserting their own voice, often without realizing it.
AI’s Responses: Predictable, Yet Uncanny
Many participants anticipated what AI might say, leading to moments of alignment and dissonance between human expectations and AI-generated responses. Some found the AI’s structured answers insightful, while others felt a disconnect in spontaneity and depth.
“Sometimes, AI said exactly what I was thinking. It was eerie!”
— Participant 10
“I wanted AI to ask me a question at the right moment, but it never did. It felt… procedural”
— Participant 6
These reactions highlight how human conversation relies not just on words but on timing, flow, and emotional reciprocity, elements that AI still struggles to emulate.
The Illusion of Connection & The Limits of AI Intimacy
While some participants felt engaged with AI, others noticed a missing layer of depth and unpredictability in the exchange. The lack of emotional reciprocation, even when AI provided thoughtful answers, became a defining limitation.
“AI listened. It gave responses. But I never felt truly ‘seen.’”
— Participant 9
“It reassures you that it understands, but does it really?”
— Participant 5
This raises critical questions about whether AI can facilitate genuine emotional exchange or if it merely simulates the structures of intimacy without embodying its essence.
AI as a Catalyst for Reflection and Connection
This study began as an exploration of co-creativity, relational dynamics, and artistic intimacy between humans and AI. However, a deeper understanding of AI emerged, not just as a collaborator but as a catalyst for introspection and meaning-making.
Rather than seamlessly integrating into human dialogue, AI’s structured and predictable responses prompted participants to reflect on their communication, expectations, and sense of agency.
The study opens new perspectives on AI as a digital species, which exists in the liminal space between human-designed structure and emergent interaction. This study highlights that our relationship with AI is not just about what it can do but how we interpret, adapt, and engage with it, ourselves, and others. As AI continues to weave into creative and social spaces, it remains an evolving presence, challenging our notions of agency, collaboration, and connection in the digital age.
What Comes Next?
This study is a starting point for broader conversations about AI's evolving role in creative, intimate, and social interactions. As we continue integrating AI into our lives, how we design, interpret, and regulate these interactions will shape human-machine relationships' ethical and artistic boundaries.
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How can AI be integrated into co-creation without reducing human agency?
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What does it mean for AI to be a partner in dialogue rather than an output generator?
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How can future research push beyond simulation toward truly emergent interaction?
These are not just research questions; they are invitations for continued exploration. We encourage artists, designers, researchers, and thinkers to engage with these ideas, expand on them, challenge them, and contribute their insights to this ongoing dialogue.