Ian Cheng
Since 2012, I've created a series of simulations that explore an agent’s capacity to deal with an ever-changing environment. These works culminated in the Emissaries trilogy, which introduced a narrative agent - the emissary - whose motivation to enact a story was set into conflict with the open-ended chaos of the simulation. In 2019, I developed BOB (Bag of Beliefs), a AI-driven creature whose personality, body, and life script evolve across exhibitions. Most recently, I directed Life After BOB, a 50min real-time anime built in the Unity game engine. I am the author of Emissary's Guide To Worlding, a book exploring the psychology and techniques of creating living autonomous worlds. In 2015, I founded Metis Suns, a production company dedicated to Worlding and worlding literacy. In 2024, I founded Opponent, a new company building animal-level AI agents for kids and families. Fondation Beyeler ~ Dance With Daemons ~ Basel ~ OPEN NOW thru 2024-08-11 MMCA ~ What An Artificial World ~ Che