Woodworking by Humans and AI. At an exhibition organized by Anthropic, Daito Manabe and Yusuke Kamiyama will present a new installation they conceived in collaboration with Claude.

These days, with AI becoming widespread everywhere, we’re in what could be called a transitional period. As part of this trend, an exhibition organized by “Anthropic”—the company behind Claude—will be held at the “KARIMOKU RESEARCH CENTER” in Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo, from Saturday, October 17, through Sunday, October 25.

At the venue, media artist Daito Manabe and design engineer Yusuke Kamiyama will unveil a new installation they conceived in collaboration with Claude. The work brings to life the woodworking techniques cultivated by “Karimoku Furniture” through collaboration with AI.

The exhibition’s title is taken from an essay published in 2024 by Dario Amodei, founder and CEO of “Anthropic.” The essay envisions a future in which AI is viewed not merely as a tool for improving efficiency, but as a partner that thinks alongside humans and helps them overcome challenges.

In this article, we apply that concept to the field of woodworking to put it to the test. For “Karimoku Furniture,” which combines machine technology with the craftsmanship of skilled artisans, this also appears to have provided an opportunity to explore manufacturing in a new realm.

Manabe’s “Timber / Timbre” is an installation that focuses on the relationship between “Karimoku Furniture” and music. Beginning with an exploration of the space between furniture and musical instruments, the work incorporates a modular synthesizer into a wooden enclosure co-developed with Karimoku Furniture. Furthermore, the artist explores the composition and combinations of these elements in collaboration with Claude. By capturing the bioelectric potential of plants and changes in the venue environment as fluctuations in sound, the work connects wood, plants, electronic circuits, and AI into a single entity, exploring the boundary between nature and the artificial.

Meanwhile, Kamiyama’s *Dance as Waves* is a kinetic installation featuring three structures that evoke the warmth of wood, moving their illuminated arms to trace wide arcs. Their overlapping trajectories spread out like waves, continuing to move quietly as if possessed of a will of their own.

On the second floor of the venue, the exhibition features the creative process behind the works as well as the technical archives of “Karimoku Furniture.” The exhibition is designed to highlight not only the finished pieces but also the process through which humans and AI collaborated to create them.

AI doesn’t actually carve the wood. But it can work with us to figure out how to handle the wood and what to make. Come see what kind of collaboration between humans and AI has emerged as a natural extension of furniture making. Admission is free, so feel free to drop by.