Presented at the United Nations’ 2025 AI for Good Global Summit, Agentic Voicing Nature is a technological and conceptual initiative that translates endangered environments and extinct species into interactive presences. Developed in collaboration with UK-based media artist Harry Yeff and audio research company ElevenLabs, we utilize conversational AI and custom voice design to move beyond traditional data collection toward a practice of ecological storytelling. The initiative aimed to shift the role of technology from a tool of data collection to a medium for ecological storytelling, providing a platform for threatened environments and extinct species to be heard.
The installation featured bespoke AI agents, such as Raja, a Bengal tiger, and Thwaites, an Antarctic glacier, each crafted from specific environmental soundscapes and ecological histories. Technically, the project translated ecological data and species records into those interactive AI agents. It utilized custom voice design and emotive narrative structures to turn scientific data into a resonant presence, allowing audiences to engage in direct real-time dialogue with non-human worlds.
During its four-day exhibition at the summit, the system facilitated over 3,000 individual conversations, contributing to global discussions on ethics, climate change, and the future of human-machine collaboration. The project operates as a participatory experience where technology reveals the rhythms of the natural world, allowing audiences to feel woven into a larger environmental story. By integrating generative technologies with collective memory and environmental traces, the installation creates a space where memory and speculation coexist, offering a technical framework for cultural and ecological reflection.