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I created this film after going through an abrupt breakup with a queer platonic partner, as a way to explore the different (unhealthy) ways people process grief. Unable or unwilling to deal with her emotions with a therapist or a trusted friend, the protagonist in “This Robot” turns to ChatGPT to simulate a conversation with her ex in an attempt to find closure. However, as she talks with the chatbot, it’s artificiality becomes more and more apparent, and her frustration slowly builds until she realizes that she won’t be able to get what she wants from anything or anyone but the person she’s lost.

In “This Robot,” ChatGPT’s responses were unscripted, and generated authentically and in real time. The production process of the film was quite interesting because I initially intended to construct the film in a straightforward way, where the character just talks to the AI, without any fourth wall breaks or director element. But working with ChatGPT was quite difficult: despite it being a decent enough actor (as far as portraying emotions), it was not a very good storyteller (made bland choices). This made it very frustrating to try to have an emotionally compelling conversation, so I pivoted and decided to incorporate this frustration into the film through fourth wall breaks that reveal a “director” layer of the character who is making the film itself.

To me, this creates a parallel theme within “This Robot.” Like how trying to process the breakup with ChatGPT is artificial and dodges the real issues, the character of the director is also avoiding real self-work by distracting herself with art—by commodifying her pain into a product. “This Robot” asks questions about what is real and what is not—what is healthy and what is not—in both dichotomies of AI versus Humanity, and Art versus Life.

J.K. Wang is a multidisciplinary Artist: besides filmmaking, she dedicates herself to microtonal music, photography, and writing poetry and prose. To them, a key tenet of Art is creating connection through shared experiences. When an Artist is able to express something-an experience that someone else has also had, but has never been able to put into words and never knew anyone else experienced: when that collision occurs, it is like a spiritual connection is formed, between audience and Artist, and in that moment, we no longer feel alone. Wang has lived in Los Angeles since secondary school; before that they moved eight times: living in places such as Missouri, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Taiwan. She is a founder of the VWC filmmaking collective.

I created this film after going through an abrupt breakup with a queer platonic partner, as a way to explore the different (unhealthy) ways people process grief. Unable or unwilling to deal with her emotions with a therapist or a trusted friend, the protagonist in “This Robot” turns to ChatGPT to simulate a conversation with her ex in an attempt to find closure. However, as she talks with the chatbot, it’s artificiality becomes more and more apparent, and her frustration slowly builds until she realizes that she won’t be able to get what she wants from anything or anyone but the person she’s lost.

In “This Robot,” ChatGPT’s responses were unscripted, and generated authentically and in real time. The production process of the film was quite interesting because I initially intended to construct the film in a straightforward way, where the character just talks to the AI, without any fourth wall breaks or director element. But working with ChatGPT was quite difficult: despite it being a decent enough actor (as far as portraying emotions), it was not a very good storyteller (made bland choices). This made it very frustrating to try to have an emotionally compelling conversation, so I pivoted and decided to incorporate this frustration into the film through fourth wall breaks that reveal a “director” layer of the character who is making the film itself.

To me, this creates a parallel theme within “This Robot.” Like how trying to process the breakup with ChatGPT is artificial and dodges the real issues, the character of the director is also avoiding real self-work by distracting herself with art—by commodifying her pain into a product. “This Robot” asks questions about what is real and what is not—what is healthy and what is not—in both dichotomies of AI versus Humanity, and Art versus Life.