Can I Make Robot Rand?
Rand Rivera
In my thesis, I explore how relentless curiosity catalyzes transformative shifts in the design process, moving from a focus on solutions to exploring the depths of the “whys.” The guiding question of Can I Make Robot Rand? serves not as a definitive goal but as a springboard for generating new ideas and avenues for exploration with AI. The emphasis is not on creating a completed Robot Rand but on using the concept as a means to delve into uncharted territories of AI’s potential. AI becomes an endless playground, and by engaging with AI in this manner, I transform the design journey into a space encouraging experimentation and continuous discovery.
To document this journey, I adopted a receipt-style process book. This choice marries the endless, generative nature of AI with the charming, low-fidelity technology of receipt printing. This dichotomy between high-tech innovation and a seemingly mundane, text-centric medium underscores my philosophy of treating AI not merely as a tool but as a collaborator. Unlike the prevailing fears surrounding AI’s capacity to overshadow human creativity with its powerful generative abilities, my focus has always been on the input—the words, the questions, the curiosity that drives the creative process. The receipt, with its inherent capability to record an extensive list of items, metaphorically represents my thesis’s content: a detailed account of interactions, thoughts, and explorations. The long, continuous strip of paper becomes a tangible timeline of my intellectual journey, emphasizing the process over the product.