My recent move to Saskatchewan from Ontario brought about a longing for friends, family and the comfort I felt as a child. These emotions surfaced a childhood memory of my mom writing notes on the napkins in my school lunches. This memory provides the framework through which this work explores themes of loneliness, longing, authenticity, and failure. 

Inspired by a conversation I had about men in China who had fallen in love with chatbots, I used the AI chatbot ChatGPT to recreate my mom’s notes. I asked for one note a day and converted each note into a handmade font of my mom’s handwriting. ChatGPT was unable to recreate my mom’s voice and provide me with the comfort I was looking for. As a result, these manufactured notes became souvenirs of these memories rather than the restorations I had hoped they would be.

In a time where the future of AI is uncertain, this work documents the process of attempting to recreate an irreplaceable childhood memory using ChatGPT, along with navigating feelings of loneliness and longing. It investigates both the past and present, as well as potential futures for personal connection and relationships, and in doing so, provides a human perspective on navigating an increasingly digital world.