Art and AI

This transdiciplinary research project in Art and Al, led by Prof Sarah Cook, will connect the arts to other disciplines working with Al such as computing, philosophy, social sciences, psychology and neuroscience in order to make visible the hidden or unseen uses of Al and their implications for society, and bring these processes to greater public awareness. Research in the arts constitutes a unique environment in which publics can encounter and critically interrogate developments in technology and its effects on society. Cook’s practice as an art curator trained in history and philosophy of science and technology, and her research into information systems, will enable this project to interrogate how artists’ research-based practices have developed through collaborating with, and challenging the algorithmic logic underpinning hardware and software development. Cook will work with researchers to better understand the development of Al and Art with a focus on creative and critical encounters. This project provides a unique opportunity to strengthen interdisciplinary work in this new field. Through workshops, publications, and commissioning works of art/design/architecture, this project will uncover and share the histories of creative and critical developments in Al and machine learning. The programme will develop models for how creative encounters can allow publics to experience and engage with the ethical considerations and societal shifts that widespread use of Al will bring, feeding that back into Al development. The team will research how the socio-technical histories of Al and Art are documented and communicated through how Al and Art is curated, exhibited and preserved. Overall, the project, including the major touring exhibition with Bildmuseet, will demonstrate how it is possible to enable publics to experience simulations of possible futures based on machine learning and offer a space for the questions around Al developments to be discussed in novel ways that produce critical reflections.