The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in our daily lives is one that even the supremely tech savvy people are getting worried about. As new data is fed in and technology develops in leaps and bounds, one is wrapping their heads around a new normal.
Will AI take our jobs or will it dumb down society as a whole or will it simply increase efficiency and productivity or will it eventually herald doomsday are some of the many questions left to ponder on. However, when it comes to art and culture the possibility of AI being a bane or a boon is turning out to be contentious by the day. There are artists making waves with AI but then there are also those protesting its use, questioning creativity, ownership and its legal nuances.
In an effort to promote artwork by AI artists a new biannual magazine has been launched. The AI Art Magazine, featuring Japanese AI artist Emi Kusano, will not only be a publication to promote artists using AI but will also act as a way of archiving and documenting technology and art as the field advances. The founder of the magazine Mike Brauner described the magazine as a, ‘vital chronicle of a transformative movement in art history.’ The statement itself is debatable to some as there is still a large population which does not accept or classify work created by AI as art. When new technology is introduced into the art world, enhancing the way of creatively expressing oneself there is always a backlash. For example, when photography was introduced as a medium in the art ecosystem, several collectors, museums rejected it as art. Fast forward to the present day when historic institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in England have a dedicated wing to photography and its evolution since the 1900’s and now the Getty Museum has acquired its first AI photograph, ‘Cristian en el Amor de Calle’ by Martías Sauter Morera.
Still, where AI is concerned the hesitations to legitimise it as art are far more complicated and nuanced with authenticity and ownership in the digital space always being questioned. An exhibition at the Arts University Bournemouth explores this, raising issues such as diversity and identity politics. The exhibition also features a communicative hologram of the world’s first digital supermodel, Shudu Gram, who has also been on the front cover of Vogue magazine, has her own Instagram profile and has been part of several fashion campaigns. Where will all the fashion models go if the industry starts to rely on AI generated models was one of the many questions raised by critics. But the exhibition looks at a larger picture, questioning the evolving landscape of art, fashion and technology and the integral discussions the triumvirate has the power to steer.
In a similar attempt to create an impact with AI, France hosted the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit last week at the Grand Palais. The summit, which welcomed world leaders, industrialists and corporates, also invited artists to create AI-driven art. An immersive showroom was curated, showcasing the limitless possibilities when art and technology are intertwined. Benjamin Bardou a French visual artist created a series of art works titled ‘AI Generated Memories’ using art works by French Impressionist Edgar Degas. While these aimed at depicting the past and future of art history they simultaneously brought up concerns on copyright and authenticity. An open letter by over 6,000 artists expresses similar remarks, protesting the auction by Christie’s, ‘Augmented Intelligence’, which is set to take place over this weekend. Auction houses are slowly introducing AI in auctions but this will be the first purely AI driven auction. In 2018, Christie’s sold an AI generative painting for $400,000 while Sotheby’s last year sold a painting by the AI robot artist Ai-Da for over $1 million. Ai-Da the first humanised robot artist has redefined the evolution of art and technology and even has its own website and curriculum vitae.
Sougwen Chung on the other end is embracing AI as a means of enhancement and collaboration. Diverging from the AI generative movement, Chung aims to foster human-machine collaboration. Her work, Spectral, a performative installation was featured last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos. A set of robotic arms, guided by AI, were set to draw based on Chung’s real-time brain activity with the help of an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Last year an average of 34 million works were created using AI. In an era where data is king, human authorship is bound to be questioned where AI-generated art is concerned. However, AI has the ability to be a facilitator, a collaborator and an explorer. For example, Chinese restorers are utilising AI to restore ancient paintings and safeguarding an integral aspect of cultural heritage. In Zhejiang University, experts are using AI driven algorithms to anaylse pigments, understand the historic context of the art work and generate an accurate colour restoration. The job of the art conservator remains but facilitated with AI the ease of the task and the efficiency is propelled. Over 100 ancient paintings have been restored in record time with the integration of AI into the workspace.
Similarly, Paris based HeritageWatch.AI aims to provide real-time information with the help of satellite images to identify heritage sites at risk of natural disasters. Using this prediction-based approach can save several historic monuments and help in implementing mitigation measures ahead of the actual disaster.
We are witnessing a new era of art, not one which will eliminate traditional art practices but an art movement which will help develop a new way of seeing, of creative expression and of democratising art.