AI Art: How artists are using and confronting machine learning | HOW TO SEE LIKE A MACHINE
TLDRThe video transcript explores the intersection of art and artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting how artists are engaging with AI not just as a tool but as a subject for deeper contemplation. It discusses the use of AI in art to challenge and expand human perception, the role of artists in experimenting with technology, and the importance of understanding AI's potential biases. The conversation delves into the generative turn in AI, where traditional creative processes are being transformed. It also touches on the ethical considerations of AI, including the consolidation of wealth and power by corporations and the environmental impact of AI systems. The artists featured in the discussion are using AI to create new forms of expression, question the nature of reality, and provoke thought on the future of creativity and consciousness.
Takeaways
- 🤖 Artists are using AI not just as a tool, but to provoke thought about free will, human perception, and the nature of reality.
- 🎨 Some artists intervene in AI processes to explore existential questions and challenge the technology to do more than what it was designed for.
- 🧠 AI's 'black box' nature in unsupervised learning allows for a more creative and speculative use of AI, moving beyond mimicking reality.
- 🌟 Refik Anadol's work at MoMA uses AI to create a dynamic, ever-changing artwork that interprets and transforms MoMA's collection data into a new form of expression.
- 🌌 The AI-generated artwork creates a 'galaxy' of data points, exploring the empty spaces and possibilities of what could exist beyond our current understanding.
- 🔍 AI systems are often assumed to be objective, but they are inherently biased by the data they are trained on, which can lead to skewed outcomes.
- 👀 Trevor Paglen's work examines the cultural and political implications embedded within AI systems and the real-world impact of their definitions.
- 📚 The use of AI in art is not new, with historical examples like Duchamp's readymades challenging the traditional notions of art and the artist's role.
- ⚙️ The evolution of human and machine interaction has seen a shift from machines needing to understand human-made fonts to humans trying to interpret machine-made concepts.
- 🌱 There is potential for AI to help solve complex problems, but concerns exist about the consolidation of wealth and power if these tools are only accessible to large corporations.
- 🌐 The full life cycle of an AI system, from the extraction of rare earth minerals to the end of device life, has significant planetary costs that are often overlooked.
- 🔑 Artists bring a unique perspective to the conversation about AI, with a deep historical context for understanding images and meaning, which can complement the technical perspective of computer science.
Q & A
How do artists use AI in their work?
-Artists use AI as a tool to experiment with, subvert, or divert from its intended use. They intervene at a high level to explore existential questions about free will, human will, and machine will, as well as questions of perception, such as seeing things not made for human eyes.
What is the significance of unsupervised learning in the context of AI and art?
-Unsupervised learning allows the machine learning model to tag and categorize data on its own, creating a 'black box' where the process isn't fully understood. This approach can lead to the creation of unique and unexpected art forms, as seen in the 'Unsupervised' exhibition at MoMA.
How does Refik Anadol's work at MoMA differ from conventional AI applications?
-Refik Anadol's work at MoMA diverges from conventional AI applications by not following labeled data or mimicking reality. Instead, it aims to dream and speculate on a machine's imagination, creating a complex classification system or map of MoMA's collection and exploring the potential for new creations in the empty spaces of that galaxy.
What are the implications of AI systems being used for object and face recognition?
-AI systems used for object and face recognition can lead to biases and skewed perceptions of the world, as they are trained on data sets that may not be representative or inclusive. This can result in a simplified and potentially harmful view of the world, affecting how certain groups are categorized and understood.
How do artists like Trevor Paglen challenge the biases in AI systems?
-Trevor Paglen challenges the biases in AI systems through his art, such as the 'Behold these Glorious Times!' video, which exposes the training data sets used to teach AI systems. He highlights the real-world implications of these biases and the ways in which personal and intimate moments are used for commercial gain.
What is the 'generative turn' in the context of AI and its impact on various industries?
-The 'generative turn' refers to a crucial inflection point where traditional understandings of fields like illustration, film, and publishing are rapidly changing due to AI's ability to generate new content. This shift implies a profound cultural and technological transformation in how creative works are produced and perceived.
How do artists contribute to the conversation about AI and its impact on society?
-Artists contribute by bringing thousands of years of thinking about the nature of images and meaning-making to the conversation. They offer a unique perspective that the engineering and computer science traditions may lack, focusing on the cultural and political implications of AI systems.
What was the significance of the 'Machine Art' exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1934?
-The 'Machine Art' exhibition was significant as it unveiled machinery as art, placing pieces of machinery on pedestals against white walls to reveal the beauty of the machine to the world. This marked a shift in how artists and designers began to understand and utilize machines in their work.
How does the use of AI in art challenge traditional definitions of creativity?
-The use of AI in art challenges traditional definitions of creativity by questioning who gets to define what is real or not and by using collective memories to create collective dreams and consciousness. It pushes the boundaries of what art can be and who can be considered an artist.
What are the ethical concerns raised by the use of personal moments in AI training data sets?
-The ethical concerns include the invasion of privacy, the commercialization of intimate moments, and the potential for biased AI systems that perpetuate stereotypes or misunderstandings. There is also a risk of oversimplification and misrepresentation of complex human experiences.
How does the full life cycle of an AI system, from extraction of materials to end of life, impact the planet?
-The full life cycle of an AI system has a significant planetary cost, from the extraction of rare earth minerals in mines to the energy and water consumption during the device's operation and the environmental impact of disposal. It highlights the need for sustainable practices in AI development and use.
What alternative uses for AI tools are suggested by artists and researchers?
-Artists and researchers suggest using AI tools in ways they were not originally designed for, such as making them inefficient or having them work against their intended purpose. This could involve challenging the expectations of AI for work or efficiency and exploring more creative, critical, or subversive applications.
Outlines
🤖 AI and Artistic Intervention
The first paragraph discusses the pervasive yet poorly understood role of AI in daily life. It highlights how artists are using AI not just as a tool but to provoke deeper understanding and reflection on AI. The artists aim to engage with AI at a high level, questioning free will and perception, and challenging the conventional use of technology. The discussion also touches on the recent advancements in AI research and the concept of supervised learning, where humans provide the labels for AI to learn from. However, the artists featured are more interested in unsupervised learning, where AI creates its own classifications, leading to a more imaginative and speculative use of AI.
🎨 AI's Cultural and Political Implications
The second paragraph delves into the biases inherent in AI systems and how they reflect the values and points of reference from which they were trained. It emphasizes the 'generative turn' in technology, where traditional methods of creation are rapidly changing due to AI. The speakers discuss the misconception that AI systems are objective, when in fact they are skewed by the data they are trained on. The work of Trevor Paglen is highlighted, which examines the cultural and political aspects embedded in AI systems. Paglen's piece, 'Behold these Glorious Times!', critiques the use of personal and intimate moments in training AI, and the potential for a simplified, biased view of the world that AI systems may propagate.
📚 Artists and the Evolution of Technology
The third paragraph explores the historical relationship between artists, designers, and technology. It discusses how artists have responded to the advent of industrial production and mechanization by redefining the roles of art and the artist, as exemplified by Marcel Duchamp. The evolution of technology, from machines being celebrated for their beauty to machines attempting to understand human concepts, is outlined. Concerns are raised about the deployment of AI tools by large corporations leading to wealth and power consolidation, potentially resulting in an inequitable society. The paragraph concludes with a call for radical and unconventional uses of AI, and a future where the definition of creativity and reality may be questioned.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AI
💡Supervised Learning
💡Unsupervised Learning
💡Machine Learning Model
💡Black Box
💡AI-made Dreams
💡Generative Turn
💡Bias in AI Systems
💡Multi-dimensional Imagination
💡AI and Society
💡Collective Consciousness
Highlights
AI is pervasive in our daily interactions, yet there's a lack of understanding about it.
Artists are using AI not just as a tool, but also to increase public understanding of AI.
Some artists aim to intervene in AI processes to explore existential questions about free will and perception.
Artists often take existing tools and use them in unconventional ways, applying this to technology as well.
AI breakthroughs like DALLE-2 and ChatGPT are following a pattern of supervised learning with labeled data.
In supervised learning, humans tag information, whereas in unsupervised learning, the AI model does its own tagging.
Unsupervised learning allows for the creation of a complex classification system by the AI, independent of human labeling.
The AI model can navigate through 'empty spaces' in data to speculate on what could exist, leading to a form of 'machine dreaming'.
AI-made potential dreams challenge the human need for categorized understanding, offering a multi-dimensional imagination.
AI systems are not objective and are skewed from the start by the data they're trained on.
Artist Trevor Paglen explores the cultural and political biases inherent in AI systems.
The video installation 'Behold these Glorious Times!' exposes the training sets used to teach AI systems.
AI systems are incorporating intimate moments from personal videos into training sets for commercial purposes.
The oversimplification of complex images into single labels is a risk in AI datasets.
Artists bring a deep historical understanding of images to the conversation about AI.
The evolution of human-machine interaction, from industrial production to AI, has been examined by artists and designers.
Concerns about AI being deployed by large corporations leading to wealth and power consolidation.
The full life cycle of an AI system, from resource extraction to device disposal, has significant planetary costs.
AI algorithms may redefine creativity, questioning the nature of reality and the future of human expression.