To Heat a Candle with the Warmth of You illustrates the energy consumption of artificial intelligence by visualizing heat through melting a candle. A large language model operates on a Raspberry Pi 4, generating heat as it processes the prompt 'to heat a candle with the warmth of you'. The heat produced from computations serves as a tangible reminder of the machine's activity, while the melting wax visually represents the energy consumption of the technology. The project invites reflection on the hidden material realities of AI tools and makes their environmental impact more perceivable.
Running a large language model on a Raspberry Pi 4, the system is prompted with 'to heat a candle with the heat of you'. The resulting heat slowly melts and erodes the candle in the physical world.
Every machine-generated thought consumes power and produces heat: a silent, residual trace of its activity, visible in the melting candle.
While we cannot see energy directly, its byproduct heat offers a way to feel and sense the invisible processes shaping our world.
Through subverting the technology and reusing it mainly from a physical and material standpoint, Julia offers a speculative intervention towards the expanding use of AI tools.
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