Research Design AAIA 2024

ESTHETICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ART

Tomáš Marušiak MFA

Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Arts, Department of Musicology (Czech Republic)

Cultcode-Institute of Visual Art (Slovak Republic )

Ongoing Research 2024:

Aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence Art: Research design 2024

The research project „Aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence Art“ 2024 is situated at the intersection of experimental aesthetics, computational cognitive neuroscience, and computer science. Its ambition is to provide a dynamic analysis of the evolution of aesthetic processes among humans and artificial intelligence systems. The main goal of the research is to address the feasibility and future form of artificial intelligence art, where a partnership between humans and conscious AI systems plays a dominant role. The operability of such a partnership relies on the assumption that AI systems in art will include elements of autonomous decision-making and reasoning, typical of consciousness. The research design is structured from two methodological positions: theoretical-analytical and experimental. The theoretical-analytical position is engaged in the discourse of AI art aesthetics and the study of contemporary artistic practice. Approaches in this position identify and analyze artistic research strategies in an interdisciplinary context, operating explicitly or implicitly with the partnership of humans and conscious AI systems. This position emphasizes qualitative research methods, providing insights into the current state and a basis for subsequent predictions. The experimental position represents a practical-speculative approach focused on creating predictive models, which can also be interpreted as hybrid artistic research. The methodological core of this part of the design involves speculative research methods, approaches to exploring the future that rely on imagination, creativity, and critical thinking, as well as generating and considering various possible future scenarios and testing them on prediction markets.

Strategies in AIArt

Movements within the AIArt field can also be identified through artistic strategies that incorporate a significant element of artistic research as the transposition of scientific approaches into the realm of art, along with operations involving consciousness in artificial intelligence systems. This consideration can be supported by explicating the artistic strategies of Mario Klingemann, Refik Anadol, and Lauren McCarthy. These strategies represent three distinct positions from which scientific approaches are transposed into the process of artistic research; however, their common denominator, whether in explicit or symbolic form, is the vision of materializing consciousness in AI systems as a complementary element of partnership with its own operational logic. Understanding the presence of consciousness in AI systems is crucial for all future cooperative partnerships between human creators and non-human creators in the AIArt field. It is important to emphasize that the feasibility of consciousness in AI systems is not excluded in relation to the so-called grand theories of consciousness, which can be explored through the framework of computational functionalism, drawing on the study „Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence“ by Butlin et al. 2023. The ambition of the upcoming study is to present a view of AIArt as a highly interdisciplinary process, which with its infra-experimental potential can directly intervene in the generation of scientific knowledge. In connection with this, questions also arise about how the scientific and knowledge-based cultural capital of creators influences the design of their artistic strategies, which, like Duchamp’s „InfraThin,“ can be both science and art, and how phenomena emerging from these movements will affect the future of AIArtWorld. In relation to the aforementioned, it is possible to establish a central research problem as a hypothesis that identifies consciousness in artificial intelligence systems as a key attribute of the Aesthetics of AIArt.

Models of the World of Artificial Intelligence Art

This research explores the dynamics of social conflict within the AIArtworld, a speculative domain characterized by advanced AI consciousness potentially evolving towards superintelligence. It utilizes a theoretical basis from art sociology and interactionism, defining AIArtworld as involving both human and non-human entities crucial for art production. The study leverages Actor-Network Theory for deeper insights into actor relationships and employs Pierre Bourdieu’s perspectives to simulate conflicts, testing these theories on the Metaculus platform. This research aims to understand and predict how these conflicts could influence future artistic expressions and societal interactions within this AI-influenced realm.

Speculative Modeling of Future Aesthetics and Artificial Intelligence Art Assuming the Presence of Advanced Consciousness in AI Systems Through Artistic Research.

This research explores speculative modeling of future aesthetics in AI art, focusing on integrating advanced consciousness within AI systems. It addresses the ethical and technical challenges of artificial consciousness, examining AI’s potential to evolve and engage in creative expression. Central to the study is the Aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence Art (AAIA), which aims to analyze and create AI systems capable of aesthetic experiences. Through interdisciplinary methods, including case studies, the research predicts and shapes interactions between humans and AI in art. It applies neuroscientific theories to evaluate AI consciousness potential, enhancing methodologies across disciplines. This study not only forecasts developments in AI art but also aims to influence the creation and perception of art through advanced models of consciousness