In the Age of AI Art, What Can Originality Look Like? | Eileen Isagon Skyers | TED

Eileen Isagon Skyers explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and art in her TED talk, challenging the audience to consider the nature of originality in an era where AI can generate complex and unfamiliar imagery. She discusses the dual perspectives of pessimists who see AI as a threat to human creativity and optimists who view it as an extension of our creative capabilities. Skyers showcases the work of artists like Mario Klingemann, Sofia Crespo, Sara Ludy, and Ivona Tau, who are pushing the boundaries of AI in art, using techniques such as neural network interpretations, AI model training, and Outpainting. She emphasizes that AI art is a form of curation, where artists select inputs and outputs for models, creating a collaborative process between human and machine. Skyers concludes by encouraging cultural literacy in understanding AI-generated art and embracing the technological future that expands creative possibilities.

Takeaways

• 🎨 AI art is produced by machine learning models like DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney, creating a wide range of unique and unfamiliar visuals.
• 🧠 AI's fascination stems from its ability to process vast amounts of data, reflecting human creativity and producing uncanny interpretations.
• 💭 The world is divided into pessimists who see AI as a threat to human creativity and optimists who view it as an extension of our creative capabilities.
• 🤔 The question of originality in art is challenged by AI, prompting a critical engagement with machine-made artworks.
• 🌟 Artists like Mario Klingemann use AI to generate unique portraits in real time, offering a glimpse into the machine's 'hallucinations'.
• 🐠 Sofia Crespo's 'Neural Zoo' uses neural networks to create surreal and biologically diverse creatures, blurring the line between reality and imagination.
• 📐 Sara Ludy's work demonstrates how AI can augment digital paintings, extending creativity beyond the frame with simple language prompts.
• 🖼 Ivona Tau's AI art involves curation from her personal photo collection, creating an algorithmic memory and symbolizing forgetting through destructed datasets.
• 🤝 Claire Silver collaborates with AI, using inpainting techniques to transform images, blending traditional and digital art forms.
• 🔄 Different AI models, trained on different data sets, create a diversity of 'languages' in AI art, reflecting the variety of information they are exposed to.
• 🌐 AI is increasingly integrated into our lives, and we are all co-creating with it, whether we are aware of it or not, which requires a new level of cultural literacy.
• 🚀 As we move towards a more technological future, the creative possibilities enabled by AI are set to multiply, expanding our horizons in art and beyond.

Q & A

What are some examples of AI-generated artworks mentioned in the transcript?

Some examples of AI-generated artworks mentioned in the transcript include strange life forms, imaginary influencers, diverse imagery, sea creatures, and biological forms.

How does the speaker describe AI's ability to produce visuals?

The speaker describes AI's ability to produce visuals as generating images that are familiar yet strikingly unfamiliar by processing data from thousands of other images created by people from various generations and art movements.

What are the two contrasting perspectives mentioned regarding AI and human creativity?

The two contrasting perspectives mentioned regarding AI and human creativity are pessimists who see AI as a threat to human creativity and optimists who view it as an extension of human creativity.

Who is Mario Klingemann, and what artwork did he create with AI?

Mario Klingemann is mentioned as an artist who created artwork using AI. He sold a piece in 2019 that ran on an AI model trained on thousands of portraits from the 17th to 19th centuries, constantly revealing unique interpretations of the human face.

Describe Sofia Crespo's 'Neural Zoo' series and its inspiration.

Sofia Crespo's 'Neural Zoo' series utilizes neural network interpretations of the real world to generate unreal sea creatures and diverse biological forms. These creations, inspired by the real world, include frogs resembling flowers and translucent jellyfish with vivid internal organs.

How does Sara Ludy extend her digital painting using AI?

Sara Ludy extends her digital painting using AI by augmenting it to fit a 16-by-9 ratio, using prompts for 'torn edges' in DALL-E 2's Outpainting. Outpainting allows artists to expand their creativity beyond the frame using simple language prompts.

Explain how Ivona Tau's artwork is both a photograph and the work of AI.

Ivona Tau's artwork might appear as a photograph but is also created by AI. It results from GAN training on thousands of images from the artist's personal photo collection, with Tau curating both the inputs and outputs for the model.

What technique does Claire Silver use in her artwork, and how does she describe her collaboration with AI?

Claire Silver uses inpainting techniques in her artwork, often masking and transforming small sections of an image. She describes herself as a 'collaborative AI artist', intentionally working with the machine to produce her art. She feeds AI-generated images from one model into another, effectively creating new forms of language and understanding for the machine.

How does the speaker characterize the relationship between AI and human creators?

The speaker characterizes the relationship between AI and human creators as one of collective co-creation. They mention that whether people are aware of it or not, AI is now omnipresent in the creative process, with artists increasingly collaborating with AI to explore new creative possibilities.

What is the overarching message conveyed by the speaker in the transcript?

The overarching message conveyed by the speaker is that AI is reshaping the creative landscape, offering both challenges and opportunities for artists. They emphasize the importance of embracing AI as a tool for creativity and suggest that understanding and engaging with AI-generated artworks is essential for navigating the increasingly technological future.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Rise of AI Art and Its Impact on Creativity

This paragraph introduces the concept of AI-generated artwork and its diverse manifestations, from peculiar life forms to unique imagery. It discusses the fascination with AI as a technology due to its mysterious nature and its ability to process vast amounts of data from various art movements and generations. The speaker explores the debate between pessimists who fear AI's threat to human creativity and optimists who view it as an extension of our creative capabilities. The paragraph also poses questions about originality in art and how to engage critically with machine-made art, suggesting that looking at metaphors and narratives from boundary-pushing artists can offer insights. It highlights the work of Mario Klingemann, Sofia Crespo, Sara Ludy, and Ivona Tau, who are using AI to create distinctive art forms, and emphasizes the importance of curation in AI art, as well as the ethical and aesthetic considerations involved.

05:00

🌟 The Fusion of Traditional and Digital Art in AI Creation

The second paragraph delves into the hybrid nature of AI art, which combines elements of traditional painting with digital techniques. It features the work of Claire Silver, who describes herself as a 'collaborative AI artist' and uses inpainting techniques to interact with AI in creating her art. The process involves feeding AI-generated images from one model into another, thus developing new forms of language and understanding for the machine. Silver's work is presented as a blend of masterful painting and digital art, drawing inspiration from renowned artists like John Singer Sargent, Evelyn De Morgan, and Gustav Klimt. The paragraph also touches on the idea that different AI models, trained on distinct sets of information, can be seen as speaking different languages. It concludes with a call to embrace the collective co-creation with AI and to prepare for a technologically advanced future that will amplify our creative potential.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is used to generate artwork, which raises questions about the nature of originality and creativity in the age of technology. The video discusses how AI, through machine learning models, can produce a wide range of imagery, reflecting our fascination with the unknown and challenging our understanding of what constitutes original art.

Machine Learning Models

Machine learning models are a subset of AI that enable computers to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. The video mentions models like DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney, which are capable of generating unique and diverse images. These models are trained on vast datasets, allowing them to create visuals that are both familiar and unfamiliar, thus pushing the boundaries of what we consider art.

Originality

Originality refers to the quality of being new, fresh, or inventive, and not derived from or based on an existing work. The video explores the concept of originality in the context of AI-generated art, questioning whether it is still possible for human artists to be original and how we should engage with machine-made artworks. It suggests that AI art can be seen as an extension of human creativity rather than a threat.

Neural Networks

Neural networks are a form of machine learning inspired by the human brain's structure. They are used to process and analyze large amounts of data. In the video, neural networks are highlighted for their role in creating AI art by processing thousands of images from various sources. The networks' ability to generate visuals that are both familiar and new mirrors human creativity and perception.

Curation

Curation in the context of the video refers to the process of selecting, organizing, and presenting items, in this case, images or artworks. AI art is described as a form of curation, where artists like Ivona Tau curate from their own photographs, choosing inputs and outputs for the AI model. This process involves a level of human involvement and creativity, even when the AI is generating the final piece.

Outpainting

Outpainting is a technique used in AI art where an existing image is extended beyond its original boundaries using AI algorithms. The video mentions DALL-E 2's Outpainting feature, which allows artists to extend their creativity by providing simple language prompts. This technique exemplifies how AI can be used as a tool to augment and expand upon traditional artistic methods.

GAN (Generative Adversarial Network)

A Generative Adversarial Network is a type of AI algorithm used in unsupervised machine learning. It consists of two parts: a generator that creates images and a discriminator that evaluates them. The video discusses how GANs are trained on thousands of images to produce AI art, as seen in the work of Ivona Tau. GANs contribute to the debate on originality by generating highly realistic and unique images.

Inpainting Techniques

Inpainting is a technique used in digital art and image editing where missing or damaged parts of an image are filled in. In the context of the video, Claire Silver uses inpainting techniques with AI, where she masks and transforms parts of an image to create her art. This process involves a collaborative approach between the artist and the AI, highlighting the evolving nature of artistic tools and techniques.

Collaborative AI Artist

A collaborative AI artist is an individual who intentionally works with AI to produce art, treating the AI as a partner in the creative process. Claire Silver is mentioned as identifying herself in this way, emphasizing the evolving nature of her process as AI tools develop. This concept challenges traditional notions of authorship and creativity in art.

Algorithmic Memory

Algorithmic memory refers to the data and patterns that an AI system 'learns' from during its training phase. In the video, it is mentioned in relation to the AI art created by Ivona Tau, where the AI pulls from a vast dataset of her photos, creating a form of memory that informs the AI's output. This concept is central to understanding how AI can generate images that are both novel and informed by existing data.

Cultural Literacy

Cultural literacy is the knowledge of a culture's values, history, and practices that enables someone to understand and participate in that culture. The video suggests that to be culturally literate in the age of AI, one must understand and engage with the new forms of images, predictions, and artistic expressions that AI is enabling. This implies a broader understanding of how technology is shaping our cultural landscape.

Highlights

AI art can produce visuals that are both familiar and strikingly unfamiliar.

AI as a technology is fascinating because it draws us to things we cannot understand.

Neural networks can process data from thousands of images, creating a mirror of human creativity.

The world is divided into pessimists who see AI as a threat and optimists who view it as an extension of creativity.

AI art raises questions about the possibility of originality in art and critical engagement with machine-made artworks.

Artists are using AI to push boundaries and create moments of delight, surprise, confusion, and wonder.

Mario Klingemann's AI model generates unique portraits based on historical data, offering a glimpse into the machine's 'hallucinations'.

Sofia Crespo's 'Neural Zoo' uses AI to envision otherworldly lifeforms with impossible detail.

Sara Ludy's digital painting was augmented using DALL-E 2's Outpainting feature to extend creativity beyond the frame.

Ivona Tau's work is a result of GAN training on her personal photo collection, showcasing AI as a form of curation.

AI art involves a process of selecting from hundreds of images, creating an algorithmic memory.

Claire Silver collaborates with AI, using inpainting techniques and evolving her process as tools do.

Silver's work combines master painting and digital art, creating a new form of language for the machine.

Different AI models, trained on different sets of information, are like speaking different languages.

We are all collectively co-creating with AI, whether we're aware of it or not.

To be culturally literate in new kinds of images and predictions, looking to the work of artists is a productive place to start.

The future will multiply creative possibilities at our fingertips, requiring us to embrace technology.