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AI Party at Spatial Dynamics

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Encouraged by the success of the Arcade Party, Spatial Dynamics embarked on its next themed event in collaboration with MIT's AI research lab, MIT Hanlab. Dr. Han, the director of Hanlab and a longstanding ally of our team, spearheads innovative AI research across various domains, including Large Language Models (LLM), AI-Generated Content (AIGC), TinyML, and hardware development. Over the past two years, our team has been working closely with Hanlab to explore various applications for their AI technology, particularly in the world of tiny machine learning.

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The emergence of sophisticated AI software on compact hardware platforms has opened up new possibilities that were previously unimaginable. Discovering these applications often relies on conducting experimental user testing and gathering feedback from the general public. Inspired by his positive experience at our Arcade Party, Dr. Han suggested hosting an AI-themed event at Spatial Dynamics to conduct field tests for new AI research projects with our attendees.

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Designing the Experience

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Reflecting on our past event, we realized that gathering honest feedback is most effective in a laid-back and playful environment. This alleviates people from the pressure of delivering profound insights, creating more authentic and valuable responses. One notable project from Dr. Han's lab that caught our attention was "FastComposer," a user-friendly image generation software that blends two photos into a new novel image based on user inputs.

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Example of Fast Composer

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We first tried FastComposer during a dinner session and were immediately struck by its entertaining potential.This led to the idea of having an AI photo booth competition be the centerpiece of the party. For the photo booth, we set up two stations equipped with photo printers, allowing attendees to print and display their creations on a voting board.

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To add excitement to the competition, we decided to reward the creator of the most popular photo with a custom-designed, offline ChatGPT computer – a separate project not directly affiliated with Dr. Han's lab. In the week leading up to the event, we dedicated ourselves to the design, prototyping, coding, and debugging of this Tiny Chat computer. 

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Tiny Chat Computer

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The AI Party at Spatial Dynamics

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Our AI party, an evolution from the Arcade event, took on a unique theme with the AI photo booth competition. We invited friends from many different backgrounds, including people who were not well versed in technology and design. The goal was to encourage participation in a fun way, fostering inclusivity and getting feedback from many perspectives.

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We also featured some other AI projects alongside Fast Composer and Tiny Chat Computer which included:

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Odus: Real-Time Video Generator

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MCUnet V2: TinyML Vision on Simple, Affordable Microcontrollers

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Architect Sketch: From Simple Drawings to Architectural Renders

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Attendees had the opportunity to play with the TinyChat computer Spatial Dynamics created in collaboration with MIT HanLab.

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During the event, we observed attendees pushing the boundaries of what we initially thought AI could do. For FastComposer, we assumed it would struggle with significant changes to subjects, but it surprised us with its ability to transform people into abstract forms. This happened because some participants went beyond our suggested guidelines.

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The winning photo, prompted with "two mushrooms with human faces on their t-shirts," resulted in a Van Gogh like image featuring gingerbread looking figures with mushrooms on their heads. This outcome, a masterpiece in its own right, left us both amazed and intrigued about the AI's creative potential. The winners received the custom ChatGPT computer, while the runners-up took home a software version of the offline AI model on a USB stick.

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Winners of the competition

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The first Arcade party taught us that casual gatherings are ideal for project showcases, and the AI party took this concept further. It demonstrated that transforming research projects into user-friendly, playful activities not only widens inclusivity but can also result in unexpected possibilities. 

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