Superprompt

Rip Space presented the Los Angeles premiere of Sarah Rothberg’s SUPERPROMPT, a body of work exploring how speech, identity, and communication are mediated through technology. The project unfolds through a series of conversational interfaces: NEW MEETINGS, NEW NEW MEETINGS, FOREVER MEETINGS, and I SEARCH FOR YOU, staging exchanges between variations of the artist, invited guests, and Sophie, an AI avatar. Across the works, conversation shifts between human-to-human, human-to-AI, and AI-to-AI encounters.

Working with large language models, Rothberg examines how prompts structure language and shape the appearance of personality within AI systems. In Sophie For You, visitors interact with Sophie through a computer interface, selecting from a series of “superprompts” that alter the tone and behavior of her responses. These shifting instructions give Sophie the appearance of an evolving personality, foregrounding the unstable boundary between programmed behavior, projection, and interpersonal exchange.