Free art idea #59

In this representation, the signage presenting the poet AI is circus-like. The artist is encouraged to explore other aesthetics such as a more clinical and minimal look.

This one is called “Artificial intelligence is a hoax”.

Description

In this piece, the artist leverages digital technology and “artificial intelligence” to impress participants by creating a highly customized art piece. However, no artificial intelligence is involved in the creation of the piece and this fact is never revealed to the audience.

In the example below, the artist will produce highly customized poems. It’s important to note that AI is already capable of writing poetry today. In the linked talk, Schwartz showcases machine generated poems that the audience finds to be more human than human poems. This poem writing capability is important to note as it begs the following question: If the production of the piece is entirely concealed, and the result cannot be distinguished, why does it matter whether it’s a human or a machine that produces it? This question is the crux of this work.

Execution

The steps and details below can be tweaked and reimagined by the artist as long as no Artificial Intelligence is involved and the work is executed through human toil:

• The piece is set in a public space (it could take place in a gallery or through a website as well).
• A large display shows an advanced looking machine attached to a printer. The look of the machine is important: It looks simple enough to be underwhelming and complex and colorful enough to give a taste of the future. Google’s new TPU Machine Learning hardware is a great example.
• The audience is told that a “poet AI” will be writing poems that stir their souls.
• Participants are asked by a human assistant to share their full names and a picture of themselves (the picture can be taken by the assistant or a camera attached to the machine).
• Participants are also asked to share 5 words the “poet AI” will be integrating in the poem. They are told the poem will be highly customized to them.
• The artist (or artists) is to work quickly during long days to make sure turnaround time for poem production stays at a minimum. These working conditions are not random. They are in and of themselves a representation of a working reality the age of machines and artificial intelligence promises to turn into a thing of the past.
• When the human assistant receives the full name and the picture of the audience member. These are sent to the artist who is working remotely.
• The artist is then to research the participant on social media and produce an insightful poem in a short amount of time that captures the person’s responsibility while integrating the 5 words the audience member shared.
• The poem is then sent for the printer inside the piece to print.
• The participant is handed their poem by the human assistant.