Artist Refik Anadol uses generative artificial intelligence to create images as part of the exhibition “Echoes of the Earth: Archives of Life” at London’s Serpentine Gallery North.
Hugo Glendinning | Courtesy of Refik Anadol Studio and Serpentine.
Like many industries, the art world is grappling with how to best utilize artificial intelligence, especially its newest form – generative AI.
Image generators like Midjourney and OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 can generate images based on written prompts, and this technique has been used to create magazine cover, win an art award and dress the pope Wearing a white down jacket.
Some artists CNBC spoke with described the technology’s potential as scary or threatening, or expressed concerns about copyright. But they also say they’re excited about what generative AI could bring.
Installation artist Rubem Robierb told CNBC over the phone that he was “shocked” when he first saw what generative AI could do. “In its infancy,[generative]artificial intelligence can create more images in a second than even the human brain can process. This is not necessarily a good thing, but we are all forced to experiment,” he said in a follow-up article. Email up.
Robierb specializes in sculpture, and a work titled “Dandara” is on display in New York in honor of Dandara dos Santos, a trans woman who was killed He created the “Dream Machine” in Fortaleza, Brazil, a pair of large butterfly wings commissioned by Celebrity Cruises for its multi-billion dollar cruise ship Edge.
Artist Rubem Robierb and his sculpture “Dream Machine”. Robbilb hopes to introduce “legal boundaries” to protect artists’ intellectual property rights.
Reuben Robilb
The artist, who lives between New York and Miami, said he has yet to use artificial intelligence in his work. But he called doing so “not a matter of choice,” adding that he was considering how and when to use it.
“We can also see it as a threat to creativity. For now, (generated) artificial intelligence comes from known images, known artworks, and known artists to complete tasks. Legal boundaries must be created to protect intellectual property, ” Robib said.
In Europe, the European Commission artificial intelligence method The bill aims to regulate the technology, depending on the risk it poses to citizens’ rights or safety, and could take effect in about two years, according to a December report. Press release.
generative art
Ethical use of generative artificial intelligence is key consideration for London gallery serpentineCEO Bettina Korek said the company has been developing artificial intelligence projects with artists since 2014.
One of the gallery’s current exhibitions is “Echoes of the Earth: Archives of Life” by Refik Anadol, which features large-scale AI-generated artworks such as “Artificial Reality: Coral,” which was created using approximately 135 million Created with coral images, the images are “publicly” accessible online,” according to a press release.
“Artificial intelligence seems so far away from our human experience. But Refik creates such an immersive sensory experience,” Korek told CNBC via video call. “Audiences are really exposed to art first and technology second,” she said, adding that Anadol has focused on the importance of using “ethically sourced” data to train artificial intelligence that generates images.
Artist Refik Anadol uses generative AI to create artwork, which can be seen in the exhibition “Echoes of the Earth: Archives of Life” at Serpentine North Gallery in London, UK
Hugo Glendinning | Courtesy of Refik Anadol Studio and Serpentine.
Anadol used what he calls “large-scale models of nature,” in which data from London’s Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, among others, were used to train artificial intelligence to produce content for a work called “Living Archives: Large-Scale Nature Models.” , the work is show first The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
Ethical data sourcing for training artificial intelligence is “part of a larger conversation we are considering with artists,” Korek said. The Serpentine Gallery’s fourth Future Art Ecosystems report, released in March, called on public institutions to “contribute themselves Understood as mediators in the role of artificial intelligence in society.”
Other galleries, such as 37xDubai in the United Arab Emirates, are embracing AI-generated art. According to Danilo S. Carlucci, the gallery’s founder and CEO, the venue’s exhibition “Generation: Art and Systems” features Julian Espagnon ), who blend design, coding, and art.
What are we doing, replacing the human experience?
When asked whether generative art can match the value of art created by humans, Carlucci said in an email to CNBC that generative art involves creativity and skill. “Some of the artists in our exhibition are highly skilled and have a strong understanding of coding. They create works that require hours of labor, similar to traditional art, and the stories behind their works carry thoughtful… messages,” he said explain.
At the Serpentine Galleries, the gallery’s art technology team is working on a number of artificial intelligence projects, including an exhibition by artists and musicians Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst , exploring “the dark corridors of artists in the age of artificial intelligence,” which will open in the fall, according to a press release.
Dryhurst and Herndon are also co-founders of Spawning, an organization focused on artificial intelligence data governance.One of its products, search engine Have I been trained?letting people know if their work and images have been used to train some of the large language models behind generative artificial intelligence – and optionally prevent them from being used in the future.
AI platforms Stability and Hugging Face are two generation platforms using the Have I Been Trained registry, and Spawning co-founder and CEO Jordan Meyer said in an email to CNBC that it is “actively courting” OpenAI and Midjourney.
Artificial intelligence as a “tool” for artists
Abstract artist Shane Guffogg has mixed feelings about artificial intelligence. He described artificial intelligence as “a tool” during a video call with CNBC. “Part of it is scary. Another part of it is exciting because it allows me to unpack what my ‘senses’ are hearing,” he said.
Gufuge has synesthesiaa sensory condition that meant he equated individual colors with specific musical notes, he wanted to create a musical work based on his art that could be played by a pianist.
He contacted software developers to help him create a work called “Sounds of Color,” which is part of his exhibition in Venice, Italy, starting April 20, but found that some developers wanted to replace people with technology. the elements of.
“They wanted it to be completely artificial intelligence-generated, not even based on my paintings but my movements. And… the human element was removed. I just said: ‘No, I’m not going to do that,'” Gufo said. Ge said.
Californian artist Shane Guffogg collaborated with an artificial intelligence software programmer and a pianist to hold an exhibition in Venice, Italy, from April to November. He said artificial intelligence technology is both “scary” and “exciting.”
Sean Gurforger
Another developer wanted to make a hologram of Ancient Forge that would create new art. “He said… once we record all of your movements, it can permanently generate a new drawing of you long after you’re gone,” Gurfogel said. He also rejected this suggestion.
Gutfogg, who collaborated with artificial intelligence software programmer Jonah Lynch and pianist Anthony Caldera on The Sound of Color, said the first time he “heard” one of his paintings being performed, He shed tears. “I can hear all the (musical) influences that I hear while painting,” he said.
Gurforger has not yet tried generative AI programs, but says people have shown him images produced in this way. Creating his own art, he says, is “the joy of discovery.” “What are we doing, replacing the human experience? … Hopefully … it will wear off and stop being the brave new world,” he said of generative artificial intelligence in the context of art.
Robbe had a similar sentiment. “Only original artwork from one person is original… Nothing can compare to the creativity of originality. I think at some point we are going to walk into an art fair and we are going to have to label artwork Labels (are) artificial,” he told CNBC.
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