Drop Day Cafe
Betting and gambling seem to be embedded into the culture of human beings. Perhaps we like to take risks because we feel that we know something that others do not. But what if we were betting against someone (or thing) who knows everything?
The future of how we place our bets will most likely involve a new competitor; intelligent algorithms who feed off of previous bets, cultural data, and even real-time biometric information. Artificial intelligence needs only to be told to maximize a certain objective, such as “predict the best-selling t-shirt”, and it will execute on that task.
But could a machine predict something as sacred as human tastes and trends? Afterall, aren’t these things based on fluid events in economics and politics, and influencers like YouTube celebrities or sports stars?
Meet Tarik
Tarik Floyd is originally from Buffalo, NY, but later moved to study hospitality at University of Hawaii at Manoa. His studies, in combination with working at a popular restaurant, taught Tarik valuable skills in setting a mood through curating light, smells and sounds. This would inspire his interest in creating a safe and comfortable space for people.
Though he knows that AI already has the power to curate content for our senses (think Spotify), Tarik believes that a machine is still far from being capable of replacing a human’s empathic and sensory skills.
Concept
Tarik always struggled with defining himself as an artist. For him, the internal debate stems from the realization that the world of Fine Arts is not open to every type of person. He wondered how he, as a black man, could enter and thrive in this space. Determined, he set out on a journey to discover his medium.
This is how he stumbled upon the AULA Future Lab—a place where each person is given the space to think deeply and to create with support from peers. “This project really gave me the opportunity…to build the puzzle together.”
That puzzle began with the exploration of the topic of AI, where he became interested in how we can enhance our own abilities with this new technology. Tarik is curious about the intersection of human and artificial intelligence, and what sorts of limits exist there. He believes that it is up to us to set boundaries, and envisions a future in which we coexist with advanced computers as an extension of ourselves.
Tarik’s essential question is, “Can AI predict something as human as culture?” Furthermore, he asks if this is true, could AI potentially help us to make better financial decisions?
Beginnings
Tarik explores this question through another passion of his, Supreme’s secondary retail market. The secondary streetwear market works that an item is “dropped” at a specific time and day, and resellers purchase these items and sell it at a higher price (this works, because Supreme only releases limited edition items). Resellers must predict what item will be the best investment, meaning they need to have an eye for what’s “hot”.
He merges the streetwear market with an ambient cafe setting; “a calm place where you can take your shoes off.” This is a nod to traditional betting spaces at casinos, horse races, or at sporting events, which are usually only ambient if you are a “high-roller” VIP.
A culmination of his interests in AI, hospitality, and urban culture, Tarik has set up a model and experiment for human collaboration with AI.
Project
Officially dubbed the “Drop Day Cafe”, Tarik creates a physical space which exists so that human resellers can make predictions about what the next hot item released by Supreme will be.
In Tarik’s installation, the participant bets with or against the Drop Day AI who, in real life, would be able to take data from everywhere and factor that information into its own predictions. Meanwhile, human players must rely on their intuition. The AI will provide the suggested bet for the human which is displayed on a TV screen. If you choose what the AI suggests, you’ll get 1 credit. If you bet against the AI and still select the hottest item (item sold out the quickest), you get 2 or more credits.
The more you come back to the cafe and the more weeks in a row you earn credits, you can eventually earn enough credits to purchase a real Supreme item from the cafe’s collection.
Although fictional, this art piece is meant to paint a picture of what a collaboration with AI might feel like; the space itself is a physical representation of the intersection of future tech and human culture. It is a hub where we can practice a relationship with AI and exercise extending our own intuitions.
In the end, Tarik proves that creation is not limited to one person or the other. Everyone is inspired by something, and given the tools of art and design, can explore their curiosities in a way which can be shared with others. I think it’s safe to say that Tarik is definitely an artist.
