The Art of AI: Rethinking Notions of Creativity, Aesthetics, and Ethics

This project explores the aesthetic and ethical dimension of AI, seeking to unravel its intricate cultural fabric by re-evaluating and challenging concepts such as creativity and art. These polyvalent notions have always been intertwined with the understanding of human intelligence and what it means to be human across times and cultures. To address the cultural and epistemological complexity of the relationship between the human and the non-human in our present age, the project examines historical narratives about AI and the enduring myths of creativity and intelligence associated with it – analysing their critical potential within contemporary discourses. At the same time, it appears increasingly necessary to reflect on the use and citation of terms like Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) within public discourse, given a lack of shared definitions and their frequent advancement of particular narratives or strategic interests as opposed to the contribution of a grounded and interdisciplinary understanding. The project takes into account how creativity and AI are perceived today, examining which skills and characteristics are seen as lacking in machine-generated works, and how past disruptions in the arts – such as the emergence of photography or film – might offer a framework for future developments. Finally, the project also explores the cultural and ethical tensions surrounding ‘creative machines’, particularly in relation to the risks and possibilities of AI-driven image manipulation and generation. It examines the extent to which visual and ethical literacy might serve as effective instruments for navigating the destabilising effects of deepfakes. Considering the increasing amount of manipulated visual material, this project is not only important for visual studies sensu stricto. Rather, the goal of this transhistorical and transdisciplinary endeavour is to foster critical dialogue between the humanities and computer sciences.