However we look to define art or the artist, it’s clear that AI algorithms and machines like Ai-Da are having an impact on the art world. Their works are exhibited alongside more traditional forms of art in established art institutions worldwide. Next year we’ll see the world’s first AI art gallery open its doors in LA, a permanent exhibition space for “ethical AI”.
Eva Jäger, the creative AI lead and arts technologies curator at the Serpentine Gallery in London, is also helping to bring AI art to the masses, with a programme of exhibitions provoking critical discussion about the impact of technology on art.
For her, the future of AI art is not adversarial. Traditional forms of art will continue to exist, just as AI artwork will continue to develop. She sees the collaboration between human and machine as a space for real creative potential. She believes that the artist’s intent and the human practice behind a piece or installation which utilises technology like AI are more important than just the final aesthetics.
“For me there are some really interesting generative images that get produced, but without the practice behind it I’m not sold on them, just because they’re an amazing image,” she says. “And I would say the same about painting. I’m much more interested in the systems, including the humans behind the work. I want to know what they are using the system for, what are they exploring? It’s a mistake just to look at the final artefact.”
And when it comes to evaluating the authenticity and credibility of AI art, one of the most contentious aspects of the AI art discipline, du Sautoy makes a compelling point. All art is a product of that which came before it, and creativity cannot come from nothing – all artists whether human, robot or algorithm, build upon the works of others.