The Art Behind the Science of AI

Discussions of creativity and AI often focus on what AI can offer creative practice. This talk reverses the question. Artists working with new technologies are usually cast in supporting roles, as early adopters who translate new tools for the public or as critics who warn of their dangers. Drawing on a series of examples, this talk will show how artistic experiments have influenced, and sometimes anticipated, breakthroughs in AI research. These cases suggest that artistic practice can contribute to the technical and scientific understanding of AI, and that the field has much to gain from paying closer attention to how artists think about and work with AI.