Cat Royale: An Artistic Inquiry into Trust in Robots

Cat Royale is an artwork created by the artists Blast Theory to explore the question of whether we should trust robots to care for our loved ones. The artists endeavoured to create a `Cat Utopia', a luxurious environment that was inhabited by a family of three cats for six hours a day for twelve days, at the centre of which a robot arm played with them by wielding toys. Behind the scenes, the decision engine recommended games based on ongoing assessment of their happiness. A video installation featuring an eight-hour movie of the cats' exploits is currently touring worldwide, provoking audiences to engage with the question of trust in autonomous systems.