Max Haarich

Director of the Užupis University’s Institute for Applied Paradox

Max Haarich is an artistic researcher, conceptual artist, and Ambassador of the Republic of Užupis to Munich. He studied communication science in Aachen (DE) and political theory in New York (US), and worked as a manager at Europe’s leading innovation and start-up center, until he quit his job to do serious work. Max Haarich creates artworks and events at the intersection of arts and technology with a focus on artificial intelligence and blockchain. His work has been exhibited at festivals like Ars Electronica, has been collected by museums like Francisco Carolinum, and has been covered by magazines like US Playboy.

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Smart Hans, the endboss of AI : an artistic interactive installation

On June 05, 2024 at 05:00 PM (UTC+1)

Smart Hans is the endboss of all AI models. It is the digital reincarnation of the real horse clever Hans, which lived 100 years ago and fooled the people with its assumed cognitive capabilities like mind-reading. Our installation reveals how you can actually guess a persons thought in a controlled setting with the help of AI and a webcam. At the same time, the project warns us of the Clever-Hans-Effect, which describes the impossibility to ever reliably understand and anticipate an AI system's behaviour.

Useful links

Smart Hans / 2022

Ask your questions to Max Haarich!

What in your studies and professional experiences have led you to make an artistic reinterpretation of Clever-Hans using AI? Do you think this has had an impact on your work today?

by Antonin Couton

According to the website, your Smart Hans AI uses posture recognition to "guess" a number through body language cues. What exactly is analyzed, is it the body, face or everything together? How accurate is this AI exactly and how high is the error rate? When it comes to errors, what would you say causes them in particular? Does body type, ethnicity, skin color, facial structure, make-up, etc, etc influence the accuracy of results?

by Anastasia Shulman

It's impossible ever reliably to understand and anticipate an AI system's behavior. It's due to AI systems' potential to develop their cognition or because people might rely on AI too much, limiting our cognitive abilities. I don't understand.

by Kuan Hua Chen

In what ways do artistic projects like 'Smart Hans' contribute to the dialogue about ethical AI development and deployment?

by Vlad Panait

Your website states that the "Smart Hans" project was funded by the "Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien". What challenges or benefits have you experienced as a result of working with government institutions?

by Melanie Bauer

What was the audience reaction to your works at festivals like Ars Electronica?

by Viktoria Grigoriev

How can the utilization of Smart Hans and similar AI models in the realms of art and music enhance creative processes and foster the creation of innovative works, all while addressing the challenges associated with the Clever Hans Effect?

by Charlotte Bettermann

How can the utilization of Smart Hans and similar AI models in the realms of art and music enhance creative processes and foster the creation of innovative works, all while addressing the challenges associated with the Clever Hans Effect?

by Charlotte Bettermann

What does the sentence 'In love with paradox, pixels, and peanuts because they all start with π' on the web page mean?

by LiHsuan Chang

You stated that even a child could potentially trick this AI system. Could you please explain how we can validate the accuracy and reliability of the posture recognition model? Since human thought processes are complex and psychologists themselves may not fully comprehend them, I'm curious to know how machines could potentially capture and analyze additional features beyond just posture.

by LiHsuan Chang

Could you share any unexpected challenges or interesting discoveries you encountered while developing the ‘Smart Hans’ project? How did these experiences shape your artistic approach?

by Lea Zeilbeck

You majored in communication science and political science, and I wonder how you came to work in the AI field. And how does the Smart Hans installation utilize AI and a webcam to interact with participants?

by Daeun Jeong

Your work often addresses public perceptions of technology. How do you see the role of art in shaping or changing societal views on technologies like AI?

by Marla Ridzewski

How does your background in communication science and political theory influence your artistic research and conceptual art?

by Annika Grauer

How does your background in communication science and political theory influence your artistic research and conceptual art?

by Annika Grauer

Your work often addresses public perceptions of technology. How do you see the role of art in shaping or changing societal views on technologies like AI?

by Marla Ridzewski

How do you ensure that your interactive installations, like Smart Hans, are engaging and accessible to a diverse audience?

by Janis Reisenauer

What impact do you hope your installation “Smart Hans” will have on the public’s understanding of AI and its limitations?

by Sumin Lee

How do you envision the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of art and creativity, especially within the context of the metaverse and blockchain technologies?

by Katharina Grünwald

How do you see the intersection of art and technology evolving in the next decade, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence and blockchain, and what role do you envision for the Republic of Užupis and its Institute for Applied Paradox in this future?

by Junghyun Lee

What are your next steps or future projects in the realm of AI art? Are there any new themes or technologies you are particularly excited about exploring?

by Timo Warendorf

What was the funniest experience since you‘ve started? Or of what are you most proud at? (Projects, interactions etc.)

by Alisa Valentiner

How high is the proportion of participants who can successfully trick the AI (smart Hans) at first try, and what strategies do they often use?

by Lena Ertl

How do you ensure that the underlying message of "Smart Hans" (the unpredictability of AI) is properly understood by audiences who engage with it?

by Michael Buchholz

What implications does the "Smart Hans" installation have for our understanding of AI's capabilities and the challenges posed by the Clever Hans Effect?

by Amir Al Nahawandi

What methods and technologies are used in the interactive installation to analyze participants' behavior and reactions, and how do these contribute to the overall experience?

by Marco Kosa

How do you use humor and paradox in your work to help people understand complex tech concepts like AI and blockchain, especially in projects like "Smart Hans"?

by Daniel Wiesenfeld

Your installation “Smart Hans” focuses on the Clever Hans effect. What inspired you to create this project and what do you hope the public will learn from it?

by Isabella Deisinger

Which project are you most proud of?

by Sophie Schmitz

How was the accuracy and reliability of the AI in the installation tested?

by Sarah Obermaier

Considering the Clever-Hans-Effect and the inherent unpredictability in understanding AI systems, how do you envision the role of artists in mediating public perception and trust towards AI technologies? Specifically, how can artistic installations like Smart Hans contribute to a more nuanced understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations?

by Eduard Krasnov

Considering the Clever-Hans-Effect and the inherent unpredictability in understanding AI systems, how do you envision the role of artists in mediating public perception and trust towards AI technologies? Specifically, how can artistic installations like Smart Hans contribute to a more nuanced understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations?

by Eduard Krasnov

Considering the Clever-Hans-Effect and the inherent unpredictability in understanding AI systems, how do you envision the role of artists in mediating public perception and trust towards AI technologies? Specifically, how can artistic installations like Smart Hans contribute to a more nuanced understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations?

by Eduard Krasnov

Considering the Clever-Hans-Effect and the inherent unpredictability in understanding AI systems, how do you envision the role of artists in mediating public perception and trust towards AI technologies? Specifically, how can artistic installations like Smart Hans contribute to a more nuanced understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations?

by Eduard Krasnov

While you where mostly critical of AI are there any usecases that currently are usefull to you or that you could envision in the future

by Julius Greppmair

What steps are you taking to ensure that the ethical considerations and potential biases of AI systems, as highlighted by the Smart Hans project, are communicated effectively to audiences and stakeholders?

by Moritz Kummer

Do you see a potential of smart hans or similar ai models to be used by police or authorities in an interrogation setting?

by Mert Kafali

What responses or reactions have you observed from paricipants interacting with Smart Hans?

by Anna-Lena Scheunemann

How easy is it to trick your Clever-Hans-AI, so that it thinks, it can guess you thought, but you try to confuse it and do certain things on purpose? Is it even possible without knowing how the AI-System works?

by Samuel Pucher

Will you add other “tricks” to Hans’ repertory in the near future? If so, what could they look like?

by Mercedes Neuwirth

What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing Smart Hans, both in terms of understanding AI and its possible dangers?

by Kathrin Liesens

What lessons can we take away regarding our interaction with AI technologies like Smart Hans?

by Niklas Evmenenko

Can you please explain why you named Smart Hans the endboss of all AI models?

by Eva Madl