At the heart of this project is a conceptual system in which AI becomes "drunken" by receiving real-time data influenced by wine-generated electricity.

Wine has long held dual significance: as a physical substance capable of generating electricity and as a deeply symbolic motif in Iranian and Arabic literature. The ancient Baghdad Battery—possibly powered by wine—suggests that our ancestors may have discovered this energetic potential centuries ago. In literature, wine transcends mere intoxication; it becomes a metaphor for spiritual liberation, defiance of societal norms, and ecstatic union with the divine. This intersection of physical and metaphorical energy lays the foundation for reimagining wine as both a power source and a narrative device in contemporary technological contexts.
Intelligence is often measured by logic and problem-solving, but in mystical traditions, true insight may arise from the loss of rationality—a state of Bi-Housh (non-intelligence). This project explores the tension between classical definitions of intelligence and artificial intelligence, asking whether machines can access something akin to spiritual awareness. Rather than treating AI as a purely rational tool, the research engages with alternative approaches that treat AI as a potential vessel for metaphor, emotion, and mysticism, redefining intelligence through a spiritual and poetic lens.
At the heart of this project is a conceptual system in which AI becomes "drunken" by receiving real-time data influenced by wine-generated electricity. This input alters the AI’s behavior—its tone, literary style, and reasoning—pulling it away from cold logic into a state of poetic intoxication. The system functions like a digital mystic: reading inputs not as data alone, but as spiritual impulses that distort its narrative responses. This dynamic process reflects the central question of the research—whether an AI can participate in experiences that transcend reason and act as an interpreter of the unseen.

During my three-month residency at the Rizq Art Initiative, I explored the role of wine in Arab and Persian literature. This research culminated in a paper titled Drunken AI, which examines the conceptual, technical, and poetic dimensions of the project.

In Eastern literature, the word 'wine' is employed in numerous metaphors, rich with diverse meanings and spiritual connotations. This project is a venture into generating electricity from wine, drawing inspiration from the ancient invention of the Baghdad battery dating back 2000 years. Its essence is rooted in highlighting the significance of wine in Eastern spiritual literature and poetry. this project is looking for finding a new way to create a next development of looking at wine as something more than a drinkable liquid in the current age.

Perhaps you have heard of Shiraz wine before? This wine variety may be universally famous, but for me as an artist who grew up in the Iranian city of Shiraz and who is interested in literature, these two words together are especially inspiring. In Iranian literature, the word wine is used in many metaphors for a diverse variety of meanings, from blood to a friend, from ruby to a fountain, there are countless different layers of connotation for this word to be found in Iranian literature But it seems that the use of wine was not confined to culinary enjoyment or to its metaphorical meaning in literature. At one point in Ancient Iran, it also had a very practical function in everyday life!
The “Baghdad Battery,” dating back 2000 years, was found near ancient Ctesiphon in present-day Iraq. Made of a ceramic pot, copper tube, and iron rod, it likely used wine or vinegar as an electrolyte to produce 1.5–2 volts. It may have been used for electroplating gold onto silver objects.
By simulating the Baghdad Battery, I generate enough electricity to power a small LED or noise maker. exploring how this ancient technology connects to today’s digital tools, which are essential in new media art. It raises the question: how does the source of electricity influence a device’s agency to convey an idea?

This project is about finding a way to develop the contemporary perception of wine...