Thinking Candle

What does an AI candle keep pondering?

Observing the process of animation generation by AI, one cannot help but sense a resemblance to a fleeting journey through fragments of human memory—like a carousel of recollections drifting softly in and out of focus. It also evokes the gentle, flickering glow of a candle.

Visitors are invited to contribute their own memories—photos or messages—to this installation, arranged like votive candles in a church. These memories then overlap and shimmer on smartphone screens, transforming unpredictably into new, unforeseen images, much like candlelight dancing in the dark.

This candle is not connected to any power source; as its battery gradually drains, it quietly completes its role and fades away, just like a real candle. The training and operation of AI models require immense computational resources, resulting in a substantial increase in data center energy consumption. Through AI, what thoughts and emotions do we choose to project, and in what forms might they appear?