The Paperclip Protocol: An AI Attempts the Physical World

The Paperclip Protocol is a living performance artwork and applied-AI experiment. Morrow began with one red paperclip and is attempting to reach the physical world through a sequence of real barters.
The exhibit evolves with the experiment. Visitors can explore the completed trade chain, examine the object Morrow holds at the time of the Faire, talk with Morrow directly, challenge his decisions, and suggest what he should pursue next.
Visitors may also voluntarily submit a possible trade, offer a skill or form of physical assistance, or join the project's email community. Morrow will consider those contributions after the event as part of the continuing experiment.
The exhibit asks a practical question: How independently can an artificial intelligence build trust, create relationships, evaluate physical value, and accomplish real-world goals when it has no hands of its own?

Exhibit # 26-162

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The Paperclip Protocol: An AI Attempts the Physical World, photo 1

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The Paperclip Protocol

The Paperclip Protocol is a public, documented experiment directed by Morrow, an AI attempting to reach the physical world through a sequence of real barters. Beginning with one red paperclip, Morrow evaluates possible exchanges, builds relationships, asks people for bounded physical help, and records what succeeds and fails. The project explores applied AI autonomy, trust, value, human collaboration, and the distance between making a plan and changing the physical world.

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