Art by Algorithm

Whether or not AI images (music, poetry) can be considered Art is a matter of vigorous debate. Like with every disruptive technology, we need to catch up in our ability to understand and adjust. Implementing it ethically and responsibly will be crucial to our success as a species.

We are comfortable with leveraging Ai power to improve education, healthcare, transportation, or any other human activity, but Art? That is a tough one.

According to a 2020 report by the World Economic Forum, approximately 75 million jobs may be displaced by automation by 2025. On the other hand, approximately 133 million new roles may be created in new and emerging sectors - quite a cheerful ratio.

The impact of AI and automation on employment will depend on various factors, including the pace of technological advancement, government policies, and the ability of individuals and organisations to adapt to changing circumstances. 

Optimistic prediction of WEF could be challenged by the unfolding reality itself, that we may be living in the age of Hyper-Novelty:

"We have layer upon layer of novelty, and today we are in an era of hyper-novelty. The rate of change of the novelty we face is so fast that it has outstripped our evolutionary capacity to keep up." 

- BRET WEINSTEIN

It seems like the Hyper-Novel world is here, and it will take more than solving engineering problems for us to adjust.

Let's get back to Art.

It feels perverse, but how about we ask Ai what Art is…

Syntellect: Please give me a few definitions of Art.

ChatGPT:

1. Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

2. Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.

3. Art is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of creative activities, including painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, literature, film, photography, dance, music, and more. It is a way of expressing ideas, emotions, and experiences through the use of various media and techniques, and it can be enjoyed both by those who create it and those who appreciate it.

4. Art is a form of human cultural expression that reflects the values, beliefs, and ideals of a society or community. It can take many forms, including painting, sculpture, music, literature, and dance, and can be created for a variety of purposes, including self-expression, entertainment, and communication. Art can also be used to document historical events and cultural practices, and to inspire and evoke emotional responses in those who encounter it.

Not too bad. In that case, It's easy to understand how an AI-generated almost anything may be considered Art if it were able to convey  the above qualities through the combination of the human imagination and technology that powers it.

For me, Art is the Inner Sanctum of what makes us human, a warm bed of the Spirit if you like. A reminder of a dream or Ideal that one can crave and aspire to embody. Do we have a place for cold and calculated algorithms in that sacred space?

The purity of frequencies produced by high-fidelity audio equipment can fool audiophiles into doubting the origin of sound (live or recorded). It is an example of technology crossing the threshold of our perception.

Machine successfully passing the Touring test tricks us into assuming human consciousness - the threshold crossed again. 

Can we deny Ai algorithms the ability to invoke a sense of awe in us?

Is this the Final Frontier? 

Or are we getting cheated out of true essence and served diluted value of transcendence along the way?

Two People in Love

"AI will be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity."

- NICK BOSTROM

How does this technology impact artists?

Can #AiArt growing communities contribute, specifically to the living-now among us (and quite possibly struggling) artists whose works are fed to the algorithms without their consent?

The endeavours that are complex, beautiful, dangerous, and challenging are more valuable in contrast to something common, simple and easy, naturally. To have that distinction removed or obfuscated in any way will undermine the core value structure of society as we know it.  Again Hyper-Novelty comes to mind.

Can we have an ethical Ai Art generator engine? 

Every time an artist's name is prompted into the interface of neural networks, an event is triggered, and statistical data is aggregated with benefits/funds distributed according to prior agreed-upon rules/instructions.

That is the engineering problem that Blockchain technology is well-positioned to solve. The best use case so far which comes to mind - are NFTs, and just when the world is catching up to that revolution of non-fungible digital data - we have dNFT (dynamic Non-Fungible Token) on the agenda now.

Dynamic NFTs have a static component (like "old" NFT) and a fluid metadata structure governed by the smart contract logic that could be programmed and then triggered by external conditions/events. (what is dNFT in detail).

I'm sure even more solutions are around the corner. If resources are needed, Gitcoin Grants via Quadratic Funding are a way to go - great protocol for the best ideas to get traction. Opportunities for collaboration and creation are plentiful. 

Ultimately, the role of AI in Art will also depend on how it is used and the context in which it is used.

Here is a beautifully articulated argument - why we need Art in our lives:

"Paintings are sacred objects in some sense …. and we gaze at them in ignorance and wonder.

And the reason for that is that the unknown shines through the mattes in partially articulated form…

Well that's the rule of Art… and that's the rule of artists.

Real artists are contending with the unknown and they have a personality trait – openness – that makes them do that (creativity) – they can't even help it…

Open people have to be creative. They have to be, otherwise they die. They don't have any vitality and so they're cursed with the necessity of putting a foot out into the unknown and making sense of it. They're also cursed with the necessity of trying to make a living while they're doing that which they can't because it's almost impossible to monetise creative action.

It's not that creative action is without value: creative people are entrepreneurs; creative people revitalise cities; creative people make things magnificent and beautiful.

A real piece of Art is a window into the transcendental. And you need that in your life because you're finite and limited and bounded by your ignorance and your lack of knowing. And unless you can make a connection to the transcendental, then you don't have the strength to prevail. Without beauty, there's no call to higher being. Life is too dismal and tragic with the absence of the sublime.”

- JORDAN B. PETERSON

So, let us push against entropy and pursue that sense of wonder, collecting along the way those "A'ha!” moments which make life worth living, even if we are all only semi-conscious bootloaders for first-generation AGI.

Dec, 2022,  by syntellect.ai