by Blanca Lucia Bergman
On January 12, 2024, I hosted AI Art Refana, an online
exhibition featuring outstanding representatives from San Diego’s AI Art
community. To supplement the exhibition and promote critical thinking, the art
of conversation, and leadership development, I hosted Art Unites Community Conversation:
AI Art and the Future of AI.
Part 1 of the conversation took place via Zoom on January 19.
We had a diverse group of friends: artists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, youth,
and one interior designer. To my surprise, the youth in our group expressed
higher resistance to using AI tools for art and other purposes than the adults.
Their insightful comments included, “My school discourages the use of AI for
homework assignments” and “AI generated art is inauthentic.” The popular
perspective was that AI is a useful “tool” for starting the art creation
process, simplifying tasks (such as sketching), drawing inspiration, and
testing visual ideas.
Part 2 of the conversation took place at Lestat’s On Park
cafe one week later. This is where things got exceptionally interesting! Before
we began, I stated the conversation purpose, goals, and guidelines, including
the goal “listen to understand” (a valuable leadership skill). We debated the
timeless question, “What is art?” as well as: AI generation transparency, AI’s
impact on creative careers, conceptual art, art disciplines, fact versus
opinion, art valuation (from personal and cultural perspectives), and the
meaning of learning, randomness, and free will. Not your usual Friday night
topics! All comments shared were intriguing and thought-provoking. Two were
prominent in my mind: 1) it is crucial to notify art patrons about an artist’s
use of AI as it may influence their purchase decision and 2) AI will inevitably
reduce the number of creative positions available (e.g., entry-level graphic
design positions). I found myself raising my timeout robot twice during our
conversation. The cute, seven inch metal robot proved to be an excellent laughter-inducing
device.
I supported the beautiful and complicated web of topics we
spontaneously created, because I recognize the power of uninterrupted speech
and attentive listening. We eventually returned to the agenda and one friend
voiced the opinion that AI can be an
artist, based on his inclusive definition of art. Collectively, we made two adjacent
lists of AI dual-use applications. Under the “Beneficial Purposes” list, we
came up with seven points, including: anyone can create with AI, AI generated
art can be inspirational, and some services are starting to pay original
artists. The “Harmful Purposes” list was shorter and it contained broader
concerns about AI, such as: convincing fake news, AI scams, and Autonomous
Weapons Systems (AWS).
What did we learn from our conversation? We learned that
“it’s the wild wild west with AI right now,” listening to understand is a
challenging yet powerful skill, and conversations like ours can inspire new endeavors,
such as the pursuit of facilitation mastery and the public display of works
that are, in a friend’s words, “intended to not be art” (in part, to stimulate
dialogue about the meaning of art). I look forward to this non art exhibition!
I would like to thank Michele Marlo, Lauren Patch, Kazmier Maślanka, and Jess Bergman, for being the
stars of this Art Unites Community Conversation and encouraging its extension
by one hour!
Blanca Lucia Bergman, MBA, is a business consultant, public
speaker, and entrepreneur with a diverse background in the arts, cognitive
science, technology, and biotechnology. Her brands include Art Unites, Mental Wellness
for Artists, and Cycad Gallery. For further details about Art Unites Community
Conversation: AI Art and the Future of AI, please email Blanca at artunitescommunity@gmail.com
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