An Embodied Companion for Visual Storytelling

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05511v1
• Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:15:16 GMT
• Title: An Embodied Companion for Visual Storytelling
• Abstract summary: We present Companion, an artistic apparatus that integrates a drawing robot with Large Language Models (LLMs) to re-center human-machine presence.<n>This approach transforms the robot from a passive executor into a playful co-creative partner capable of driving shared visual storytelling into unexpected aesthetic territories.<n>Results confirm that the system produces works with a distinct aesthetic identity and professional exhibition merit.
• Score: 3.276122702672922
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: As artificial intelligence shifts from pure tool for delegation toward agentic collaboration, its use in the arts can shift beyond the exploration of machine autonomy toward synergistic co-creation. While our earlier robotic works utilized automation to distance the artist's intent from the final mark, we present Companion: an artistic apparatus that integrates a drawing robot with Large Language Models (LLMs) to re-center human-machine presence. By leveraging in-context learning and real-time tool use, the system engages in bidirectional interaction via speech and sketching. This approach transforms the robot from a passive executor into a playful co-creative partner capable of driving shared visual storytelling into unexpected aesthetic territories. To validate this collaborative shift, we employed the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) with a panel of seven art-world experts. Results confirm that the system produces works with a distinct aesthetic identity and professional exhibition merit, demonstrating the potential of AI as a highly capable artistic collaborator.

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