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Tomo Kihara + Playfool

Draw things that humans will get, but an AI won't!

outdraw.AI is a human vs AI party game where you draw things that humans will get, but an AI won't! 2-6 players can join using the web browser on your mobile device as your controller! Will you be able to outdraw AI? By pushing your creativity and deviating from what the AI has already learned, you’ll create unique drawings that no one has ever seen before!

How to Play

1. The drawer picks a prompt

The drawer first picks a secret prompt from categories such as animals, actions or even concepts.

2. Time to outdraw!

Then they just gotta draw it! But remember, the aim is to trick the AI while making sure your friends still get the picture!

3. Everyone (and the AI) guesses

Once the drawer is done, all the guessers will submit their best guess, including the AI! Choose carefully, you only get one chance!

4. The answer is revealed!

If you fail to fool and the AI guesses right, then humans lose! If the AI fails and humans guess right, then humans win!

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outdraw.AI on Steam

Link to outdraw.AI Steam page

A human vs AI party game where you draw things that humans will get, but an AI won't! 2-6 players can join using the web browser on your mobile device as your controller! Will you be able to outdraw AI?

Available: Q1 2025

Wishlist on Steam
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Now that AI can effortlessly imitate, how will we deviate?

The rapid advancement in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), has resulted in AI being able to imitate many of the intellectual tasks that were once exclusive to humans, such as generating images and writing. This development has sparked a great deal of excitement but also considerable concern among artists who fear that their jobs may become obsolete. However, just as the rise of the first photographic machine in the early 19th century freed painters from realism and paved the way for the Impressionist movement represented by Monet and Van Gogh, history has shown us that whenever a new technology emerges that can replace human acts of expression, people have found ways to deviate and create unique forms of expression that cannot be replicated by that technology.

This pattern of imitation and deviation has been a driving force in the evolution of both technology and expression. Building on the Imitation Game (1950) by Alan Turing, often considered as the father of modern computer science, we propose a new type of “deviation game”, where the aim is to utilise AI not to imitate past expressions but to identify what has already been expressed, allowing one to deviate from it.

By embracing the medium of games, outdraw.AI aims to use AI as a collaborative tool that seeks not to replace human creativity but to enhance it. Through the game, players from around the world can collectively uncover the biases in large AI models by exposing their blind spots in interpreting diverse, culturally specific drawings.

This game is part of the broader "Deviation Game" series, which explores the dynamic relationship between human creativity and AI. Expanding on Alan Turing's Imitation Game (1950), the series aims to utilise AI not to imitate humanity's past expressions, but rather to identify established expressions, allowing humans to deviate from the past and expand the horizons of artistic possibility.

Deviation Game CCBT exhibition. People pointing and enjoying the game.

outdraw.AI was initially developed as part of the art incubation program at Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT] by game designer Tomo Kihara and art/design unit Playfool (Daniel Coppen and Saki Maruyama). Since then, the game has been exhibited globally at events including Ars Electronica (Linz), Now Play This (London) and Day of the Devs (San Francisco). The game has engaged audiences of all ages and sparking critical discussions around AI and creativity. The exhibition version of outdraw.AI is available via request.

Deviation Game CCBT exhibition.
Receipt printers hanging down from the ceiling.
Deviation Game CCBT exhibition.
Deviation Game CCBT exhibition.
Photo of Tomo Kihara.

Tomo Kihara

Tomo Kihara is an artist and game developer creating experimental games and public installations. His work often takes the form of embodied playable thought experiments that invite everyone to explore new questions around socio-technical issues through play. Recent projects focusing on AI's social impact have been developed in collaboration with institutions such as Waag Futurelab (Amsterdam) and the Mozilla Foundation (USA). His works have been exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London, 2022) and the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco, 2024).

Photo of Playfool (Daniel Coppen and Saki Maruyama)

Playfool

Playfool is an art-design unit by Daniel Coppen (UK) and Saki Maruyama (JP). Their work intervenes in the relationships between society and technology through the medium of play. Their multidisciplinary and experimental practice comprises object making, installations and multimedia productions, which emphasise play's experimental, reflective and intimate qualities to create participatory spaces that engage critically yet whimsically with technology. Playfool’s works have been awarded in both the Dezeen Award (2021) and STARTS Prize (2024), and have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 2023) and Ars Electronica (Linz, 2024).

Project by

  • Tomo Kihara + Playfool (Daniel Coppen & Saki Maruyama)

Credits for outdraw.AI

  • Engineering: Kye Shimizu, Jasper Stephenson
  • Sound Design: Plot Generica
  • Logo: Yu Miyama
  • Funding Support: UK Games Fund

Credits for Deviation Game ver 1.0

  • Technical Collaborator: Kye Shimizu (N sketch) / Daiki Hashimoto (N sketch) / Hidemaro Fujinami (N sketch)
  • Sound Design: Plot Generica
  • Textile Support: Studio Onder de Linde
  • Graphic Design: Taeko Isu / Chika Yamaguchi
  • Photography: Aya Kawachi / Tada (YUKAI)
  • Videography: Kumi Oda
  • Funding Support: Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT], Creative Industries Fund NL

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