Categories
USA

Row over award for AI-generated artwork  

Text-to-image AI systems are trained on billions of pairs of images and text descriptions, which they mine for visual patterns, the report said…reports Asian Lite News

A game designer has won the Colorado State Fair’s fine art competition using an AI-generated piece of art in the US, which has created a stir among other artists who have accused him of accelerating the death of creative jobs.

According to The Verge, the artwork titled “Theatre d’Opera Spatial”, which Jason Allen submitted for the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition under the category “Digital Arts/Digitally-Manipulated Photography”, was made using the well-known text-to-image AI generator Midjourney.

Since most people are unfamiliar with how text-to-image AI generators function, many users claimed that Allen had been dishonest in submitting the work.

This claim was made in response to a widely shared tweet about Allen’s victory.

However, Allen has defended himself and said: “I wanted to make a statement using artificial intelligence artwork.”

“I feel like I accomplished that, and I’m not going to apologise for it,” the report quoted him as saying to The Pueblo Chieftain.

Text-to-image AI systems are trained on billions of pairs of images and text descriptions, which they mine for visual patterns, the report said.

Users then feed them text descriptions known as prompts, and the software generates an image that matches this description based on its training data, it added.

This distinction of not using the traditional way of creating digital art has caused controversy on Twitter where artists and art enthusiasts accused Allen of hastening the death of creative jobs.

Users from both sides, in favour and against AI-generated art, put forward their points on social media. One user claimed that comparing the use of AI to the advent of photography is a gross minimalisation of issues and AI will cost millions of entry-level jobs for artists.

“We’re watching the death of artistry unfold before our eyes,” a Twitter user wrote warning that even creative and high-skill jobs are at risk of becoming obsolete due to automation.

Some even argued that art generated by AI is devoid of any meaning as there is no active thinking of an artist involved.

Allen has responded to the criticism on the Midjourney Discord server. He said people on Twitter who are against AI-generated art are discrediting the human element which is hypocritical.

As per the Vice report, he insists that his input was key to the final piece that won the prize. Despite the controversy, the win has only encouraged Allen and emboldened his mission, he said.

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Categories
Arts & Culture

AI programme to connect artworks and cultures around world

The platform works by providing users with two options. The first (Curated Journeys) allows the user to view predefined journeys, created primarily by MAP’s educational and research arm, the MAP Academy…reports Asian Lite News

Microsoft and the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, launched a new artificial intelligence-powered platform to connect artworks and cultures around the world. The platform, ‘Interwoven’ is rooted in MAPs vast collection of South Asian textiles and was developed as part of Microsofts AI for Cultural Heritage initiative, which leverages technology to empower people and organizations dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of art and culture.

Previous projects under the initiative have involved improving accessibility through the Open Access collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the digital restoration of ‘Ancient Olympia’, in collaboration with the Government of Greece. The MAP in Bengaluru is the first project under this initiative in India.

Speaking at the launch, Kamini Sawhney, Director, MAP, said: “Covid 19 and the lockdown really forced us to reflect on how people interacted with the online space. Right from week 1, we began looking at how we could engage with our online communities. After the pandemic, a primary aspect of our mission is to use the digital realm to connect with people across the country, and the world. We’re rethinking the idea of museums. They cannot be mere repositories of objects. MAP will not just be a collection of objects, but a space for ideas and conversations that are initiated through our collections. Interwoven fits securely within this vision?”

“Interwoven is a project that is deeply impactful to society, culture, and heritage. The project interweaves technology with art, using AI to find shared histories in artistic traditions from different corners of the globe, particularly pertaining to something as rich and complex as textiles. Our approach to AI centres around meaningful innovation and this project beautifully allows art to be more accessible and inclusive for people around the world. We stay committed to using technology to help celebrate and preserve culture as part of our AI for Cultural Heritage initiative,” adds Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer at Microsoft India.

The platform works by providing users with two options. The first (Curated Journeys) allows the user to view predefined journeys, created primarily by MAP’s educational and research arm, the MAP Academy. These combine relationships between global artefacts suggested by the AI, which are then researched and expanded further by individual curators. It is an explorative model for how AI might be used in museology and art historical research. These cover a range of themes and subjects, from ideas of anti-imperialism to representations of women, to explorations of leisure. One of the journeys, for instance, even traces the forms and functions of handbags across different cultures and time periods, shedding light on their associations with ideas of community, convenience, and haute couture.

The second option (Custom Journeys) invites general users to explore the platform to stumble upon meaningful and sometimes even surprising visual connections. It provides a new way to engage with culture and learn more about the history of textiles and fashion and their relationship to global exchange.

As part of the project, the MAP Academy has also developed a free, introductory online course on South Asian textiles, for a global audience, to further contextualize the enduring impact and relevance of textiles, addressing everything from fashion, to the environment, and global exchange.

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