Bridging Art, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence

Elín Carstensdóttir is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Reykjavík University. With a background rooted in literature and philosophy, she has taken an unconventional path into computer science, where her research focuses on artificial intelligence, interactive storytelling, and the intersection of technology and the arts.

Her early intellectual formation might not have predicted a career in computational research. Nevertheless, she ultimately pursued a career in computer science and now serves as an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Reykjavík University (HR), following prior academic work at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Elín describes her entry into computer science as unconventional but intellectually motivated by the field’s creative and transformative potential.

I took a non-traditional path into computer science, but what initially attracted me to the discipline was its potential to develop innovative and creative technologies. I was particularly interested in innovations with long-term societal impact, such as artificial intelligence and its influence on communication, as well as its implications for art and creative practice.

Her final decision to study computer science was made during a university orientation event at Reykjavík University, where she met and discussed with Ari Kristinn Jónsson, then head of the computer science department, who introduced her to emerging questions surrounding artificial intelligence and its future societal implications.

After speaking with him about the future of artificial intelligence and its potential impact, I became convinced that computer science offered a meaningful framework for exploring these questions.

Early Research and the Creative Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Elín quickly identified RU´s strong research presence in artificial intelligence as a decisive factor in shaping her academic direction. She became involved in research early in her undergraduate studies under the mentorship of Professor Hannes Högni Vilhjálmsson, publishing her first research article while still completing her bachelor’s degree.

Through that experience, I gained a deeper understanding of the creative capacity of computational technologies. Artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems can be used to explore human behaviour, social interaction, and even self-perception. However, such exploration always depends on developing a rigorous understanding of the underlying computational methods and their potential applications.

This early research engagement shaped her long-term scholarly interest in combining artistic methodologies with computational systems.

Integrating Theatrical Theory and Computational Design

Elín´s interdisciplinary orientation expanded further during a research internship in 2012 at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, where she worked with Dr Magy Seif El-Nasr. This collaboration led her to pursue graduate studies at Northeastern University in Boston, where she completed both her master’s and doctoral degrees under Dr Seif El-Nasr’s supervision, supported by a full scholarship.

Her research focused on incorporating theoretical frameworks and creative practices from the arts into the design and analysis of computational systems, particularly within interactive media and educational technologies.

One of her early research projects involved applying a social behaviour simulation platform developed at CADIA, Reykjavík University’s artificial intelligence research centre. She explored whether such simulations could model dramatic interactions between characters without reliance on spoken dialogue, drawing heavily on theoretical approaches from theatre studies.

During her doctoral research, she collaborated directly with professional actors to investigate how physical embodiment and nonverbal communication influence user perceptions of digital characters.

The training actors receive provides a remarkable model for understanding human interaction. Their work involves highly structured interpretative processes that require careful consideration of physical movement, emotional expression, and interpersonal dynamics. Studying these processes allows us to translate artistic expertise into computational models that can support technological design.

Her research group has also collaborated with professional animators to analyse how motion and expressive behaviour affect audience interpretation and emotional engagement. This interdisciplinary approach contributes to broader investigations into human–computer and human–robot interaction.

Applications in Educational and Scientific Contexts

Elín emphasises that computational character modelling has significant applications beyond entertainment technologies. For example, she highlights the development of emotionally responsive digital patients used in medical education to train healthcare professionals in delivering difficult diagnoses.

Such systems allow medical students to practice sensitive communication scenarios repeatedly while maintaining experimental consistency across training sessions, thereby facilitating comparative research and skill development.

Much of my research focuses on understanding the design processes behind digital systems that aim to produce specific experiential, analytical, or research outcomes. These processes require careful consideration of how real-world phenomena are translated into computational representations and how these translations shape user experience.

She notes that these design processes frequently involve philosophical considerations regarding representation, interpretation, and ethical implications.

Video Games as Complex Research Environments

Since 2019, Carstensdóttir has worked at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a globally recognised centre for technical game research. There, she has taught courses on interactive storytelling and game production while continuing her research into computational narrative design.

Her doctoral work introduced an automated analytical framework for interactive storytelling, enabling researchers to generate structural maps of narrative experiences based on user interactions. These analytical tools facilitate comparative evaluations of narrative design and user engagement.

Video games increasingly serve as social spaces where communities form and evolve. Studying these environments allows researchers to examine social interaction, collaboration, and behavioural patterns in ways that extend beyond traditional laboratory settings.

The Accelerated Development of Artificial Intelligence

Reflecting on broader technological trends, Elín describes recent advancements in artificial intelligence as exceptionally rapid. Drawing on her professional experience in Silicon Valley, she recalls the rapid obsolescence of technological innovations.

Despite this accelerated pace, she stresses the importance of public technological literacy.

Many people only encounter the visible surface of artificial intelligence technologies, which can lead to misunderstandings or misinformation. Even researchers struggle to remain fully informed about ongoing developments. From a scientific perspective, there remain substantial gaps in our understanding that require further investigation.

In her pedagogical work, Carstensdóttir emphasises the creative and cultural dimensions of computer science. She encourages students to view computational development as a medium for intellectual and cultural expression.