Sound Clouds: Exploring ambient intelligence in public spaces to elicit deep human experience of awe, wonder, and beauty

2025/10/17 by Chengzhi Zhang, Zhang, Chengzhi, Dashiel Carrera +9
Computer Science · Decision Sciences · #Augmented Reality Applications #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Innovative Human-Technology Interaction #Multimedia (cs.MM) #Personal Information Management and User Behavior #Sound (cs.SD)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2510.15865

openalex publication_date 2025/10/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/21 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

While the ambient intelligence (AmI) systems we encounter in our daily lives, including security monitoring and energy-saving systems, typically serve pragmatic purposes, we wonder how we can design and implement ambient artificial intelligence experiences in public spaces that elicit deep human feelings of awe, wonder, and beauty. As a manifestation, we introduce Sound Clouds, an immersive art installation that generates live music based on participants' interaction with several human-height spheres. Our installation serves as a provocation into future ambient intelligence that provokes, not limits, the future possibilities of AmI.

Citations

• Generative AI Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework for Literacy and Responsible Use
• Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being
• The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept
• Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion

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