Our research LARPs explore and test the local and global consequences of advanced technologies for human and more-than-human interests.

The Cosmic Arts Copyright Convention explores how a transformation of copyright law, might create more equitable systems for all beings.

The Scenario

In 2023, the Global AI Safety Summit called for an immediate six-month pause on the training of AI systems. Yet that urgently needed pause never came. Instead,  the development of machine power continued to grow exponentially, worsening global inequities and the climate crisis. Now Extra-terrestrials have arrived and they observe that digital technologies and artificial intelligence heavily favour the interests of the few, rather than the many—and that these technologies are contributing to Earth’s rapid decline. They make connections between copyright law and issues of social and environmental justice and select The 2024 Planetary Copyright Congress as part of the Earth-Systems Audit.

The Game

Six months after first contact with ET, the Visual Arts Delegation of the 2024 Planetary Copyright Congress is convening to draft a new treaty: The Cosmic Arts Copyright Convention. During the Congress, delegates address the following question:

“In the time of rapidly advancing AI, what role can copyright play in achieving more equitable systems (or producing new inequities)?”

The ET auditors are interested in how copyright links to human concepts of social and environmental justice. Four ET Auditors –  The Silicon Entity, The Mycelial Entity, The Aquatic Entity, and The Solar Entity – have been appointed by the Cosmic Confederation of Universal Beings (CCUBs) to transmit curious questions to each of the Congress Committees which are dedicated to: sentience/labour justice, knowledge justice, global majority justice, and climate justice.

“Just six months ago, the CCUBS, made contact after receiving the Golden Records on board the Voyager Probe. […They] have shown us that earth is at an eco-social tipping point.  What is at stake is our very existence, in light of unregulated artificial intelligence, gross inequalities, the hoarding of capital and an accelerating climate crisis of great planetary concern.” The Convenor

The ET auditors appear as avatars to convey their embodied and environmental capacities and experiences. They pose their curious questions in audiovisual messages specially crafted for human reception. Delegates are relieved to learn that, unlike most human “inspection” events, ET audits are deeply relaxing affairs, designed to induce a profound sense of well-being in participants. This suppports powerful new insights about topics under review. 

Through a series of speeches, committee and plenary discussions Delegates respond to the new cosmic perspectives provided by ET auditors. 

“This Congress is worried about the impact of copyright on visual arts. But for what stakes? To reproduce the false tropes of civilization? To deny the so-called dead, non-living, irrational, spiritual and mystical the agency of the artist, to justify the exploitation of the living, human, not human planet for the furtherance of art markets? No, I say down with progress.” Delegate Mx Mxit

Delegates must consider ET Auditors’ curious questions as they reevaluate copyright for their new cosmic reality. They propose recommendations on how they would like to see copyright work differently for the visual and creative arts in the age of AI. 

Characters

Our characters are members of the Visual Arts Delegation of the 2024 Planetary Copyright Congress. As artists, technologists, lawyers and scholars, their task is to propose reforms to copyright law in the visual arts, where it intersects with the most pressing human concerns. Each delegate is therefore assigned to one of the four Committees: sentience/labour justice, knowledge justice, global majority justice, and climate justice. Players adopt new names and use the online AI Character Generator and Guides to develop characters based on themselves six months after ETs make first contact. Their character lives where they live, and has the same expertise and professional context in arts, technology and law as they do. Otherwise, the difference between them and their character is up to them! There are 4 additional special roles: The Convenor, The Venerable Mediator, The Committee Chair, and Congress Hosts.

Players

This LARP is suitable for groups of 20-30 ages 18+. It is best played with people of different backgrounds, diverse perspectives and a range of expertises across the fields of art, technology and law.  The game is designed to engender inclusivity and respect however it is important to note that play touches on themes that may well collide with player’s sensitivities. It is therefore important that they know that throughout the game, they can opt out at any time from a discussion that they feel isn’t safe or comfortable for them. A list of topics that could emerge during the game include systems of domination, colonial oppression, existential threats of both AI and climate collapse, and threats of invasion. 

Game pack includes

• The Delegates Pack
• The online AI Character generator for Delegates 
• Character Development Guide 
• Position Statement Guide
• Background images for online play
• Committee Briefings for four justice themes from the 2024 Planetary Copyright Congress: sentience/labour, knowledge, global majority, and climate.
• Guides for special roles: The Convenor, The Venerable Mediator, The Committee Chair, Congress Hosts
• Transmissions from 4 ET Auditors: The Silicon Entity, The Mycelial Entity, The Aquatic Entity, The Solar Entity (4min captioned videos)
• Audio assets including Congress notification sounds and The Congress Overture 

What players Say 

“For me, it was a way to feel part of a collective, which is something that really nurtures my everyday life. Humour is super important. I cannot imagine a deep relationship with someone with no sense of humour and, at the same time, the ability to enter the room and leave behind our real-world identities, I think is something that can equalify, in certain ways, our conversations. Because, especially if we want to include people from the global majority, you know,  especially in these very specialized topics like copyright and AI you really need to equalize. This was helpful for that.”

“Loved the characters, the visuals and the ritualised elements!”

Outputs Include

• All materials from the LARP are being revised and converted to an Open Educational Resource and teaching tool for use by learners in the arts, technology, law, and related fields.
• A Treaty called The Cosmic Copyright Convention as a data visualisation that will be published with all players as signatories.
• An exhibition is also planned for 2024. Stay tuned!

Credits

The Cosmic Arts Copyright Convention is an ArTechLaw/Furtherfield collaboration, conceived and created by Andrea Wallace, Ruth Catlow, and Kate Genevieve with additional input from Isabella Alexander, Max Dovey, Rayyane Tabet and Lekey Leideker. 

Executive producer, Charlotte Frost. Illustration by Sajan Rai. Snapcamera masks by PopulAR. Sound Design by Matt Catlow. Special guest players included Antonio Roberts and Rayyane Tabet. Made possible by: Glam-e lab, University of Exeter, and Furtherfield. With funding from the Economic and Social Research Council ESRC IAA2 114366 and Australian Research Council ARC DP 200101046