Jacobus was looking for a friend.
Someone who could understand.
Someone, or anything really,
who would share their own experience
Someone Jacobus could relate to.

For years now Jacobus has been living.
Living with hiccups.
It’s interruptive
and jolting joy.
It is a serious matter.

At times Jacobus’ fist
is planted onto the table’s surface.
Cracks occurred,
and that while having a background in engineering
as well as having a degree in medicine:

with a specific focus
on computer science
and then these latest learning technologies
of machines,
anthropomorphically deep

—deeper then the mucosal surfaces of Jacobus’ larynx, glottis and all
—with a specialization in diaphragm irritations and spasms.
with a confidence of authority and funds on call
with pitched, intense unquestioned interest and hypes and
with thrall

Incisively, Jacobus set out to invent a model
one that could generate output
interrupted by hiccups.
Incessantly, incessantly, multimodally: hiccups;
while hurling all water from the soil.

“Drink a cup of water,” said Jacobus,
“take it in.” Knowing full well that didn’t work
for him to date, not at all.
None of that brought him any closer
to that one, idealized breath of peace.

—animasuri’24

—-•
a trigger

Fuchs, T. (2024). Understanding Sophia? On human interaction with artificial agents. IN: Phenom Cogn Sci 23, 21–42 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-022-09848-0

Howick, J., Morley, J., Floridi, L. (2021). An Empathy Imitation Game: Empathy Turing Test for Care- and Chat-Bots. IN: Minds and Machines 31 (3): 457–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-021-09555-w.

McKeown, G. (2015). Turing’s menagerie: Talking lions, virtual bats, electric sheep and analogical peacocks: Common ground and common interest are necessary components of engagement. IN: International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII), Xi’an, China, 2015, pp. 950-955, doi: 10.1109/ACII.2015.7344689.

Selinger, E., Dreyfus, H., & Collins, H. (2007). Interactional expertise and embodiment. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2007.09.008