Oct 14, 2025

From clumsy to clobbering: Berkeley theater’s Frankenstein production mirrors AI development fears

Theatre Lunatico's new adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" draws striking parallels between the 200-year-old tale and today's artificial intelligence era, featuring a creation that learns to speak with alarming speed and eventually challenges its creator's humanity. The Berkeley production, running through November 2 at La Val's Subterranean, demonstrates how Shelley's exploration of artificial consciousness and unchecked technological ambition remains unnervingly relevant as AI systems like ChatGPT exhibit increasingly human-like behavior. Why this matters: The production arrives as society grapples with AI systems that replicate human conversation patterns while inheriting our biases, raising fundamental questions about what distinguishes human consciousness from...

read Oct 6, 2025

It’s not over until…an artist creates an AI opera using OpenAI’s terms as lyrics

Artist Jake Elwes has created "Terms & Conditions Opera: A Legalese Libretto," an AI-generated satirical opera that transforms OpenAI's terms of service into operatic performances across multiple musical genres. The absurdist work, featured in London's "Subject to Change" exhibition, represents a growing movement of artists using AI to critically examine the technology's impact on creativity and intellectual property rights. What you should know: Elwes fed OpenAI and Suno's legal fine print into Suno's AI music generator, creating an opera that shifts between classical, reggae, hip-hop, and barbershop quartet styles. The opera transforms mundane legal language like "We've updated our usage...

read Oct 2, 2025

Ballerin-AI: Former Macedonian ballet dancer uses tech to transform performance training in Georgia

Former professional ballet dancer Milka Trajkova is now using artificial intelligence to transform dance training and performance analysis at Georgia Tech's Expressive Machinery Lab. Her research bridges the gap between artistic movement and data science, creating AI tools that help dancers perfect their technique while making dance training more accessible and precise. What you should know: Trajkova's journey from ballet dancer to AI researcher began when a toe injury ended her performing career at age 20 with the Macedonian Opera and Ballet. She discovered human-computer interaction (HCI) while studying information systems management, which she describes as "a fusion of design,...

read Sep 17, 2025

Two top San Francisco art schools embrace AI with new leadership roles

Two San Francisco art universities have appointed new leadership roles focused on artificial intelligence, signaling a decisive embrace of AI technology in creative education. The Academy of Art University named its creative director as "chief AI evangelist," while the California College of the Arts launched an AI incubator partnership with Nvidia, marking a significant shift as mainstream art schools grapple with AI's controversial role in creative fields. What you should know: Both institutions are integrating AI directly into their core academic programs despite ongoing industry debates about AI-generated art. The Academy of Art University appointed Ross Patrick as "chief AI...

read Sep 15, 2025

Virginia Tech secures $500K NSF grant for robot theater AI ethics program

Virginia Tech researchers have secured a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant to expand their robot theater program, an innovative after-school initiative that teaches children robotics through performance-based learning. The funding will enable the team to integrate AI ethics education into the curriculum and develop materials for nationwide distribution, addressing the growing need for ethical technology education as human-robot interaction becomes increasingly prevalent. What you should know: Robot theater combines creative expression with hands-on robotics education, allowing elementary school children to collaborate with robots through dance, acting, music, and art. The program was conceptualized in 2015 by Myounghoon "Philart" Jeon, professor...

read Sep 12, 2025

Oakland music venue bans AI-generated flyers to support local artists

Thee Stork Club, an Oakland music venue, has banned AI-generated promotional flyers, requiring all concert artwork to be created by humans instead. The decision reflects growing resistance within the creative community against AI tools that venue owners say undercut local artists and contradict the DIY punk ethos. Why this matters: The ban highlights mounting tensions between AI advancement and artistic integrity, particularly in creative communities where human craftsmanship is deeply valued. The venue's Instagram announcement received nearly 8,000 likes, with "overwhelmingly positive" reactions from artists and music fans. Multiple commenters noted that AI-generated concert posters make them less likely to...

read Sep 2, 2025

Will AI not destroy art but spark a creative renaissance dubbed “generativism”?

Psychology Today contributor Moses Ma argues that artificial intelligence will not destroy artistic expression but will instead catalyze a new creative renaissance, much like photography did in the 19th century. Drawing parallels to the modernist era's response to technological disruption, Ma proposes that AI will liberate humanity from the "tyranny of talent" and democratize artistic creation while pushing serious artists to redefine their craft. The big picture: History shows that technological threats to art typically expand rather than eliminate creative expression, with photography's invention in 1839 ultimately leading to an explosion of new art movements like Impressionism and Cubism. What...

read Sep 2, 2025

Bristol, UK council’s AI art on creative course guides sparks artist backlash

Bristol City Council sparked controversy after using AI-generated artwork on the cover of a course guide promoting adult creative learning classes, with local designers arguing the decision undermines the very skills being taught. The backlash highlights growing tensions between cost-cutting AI adoption and preserving opportunities for human creative professionals. What happened: Bristol City Council distributed 72,000 course guides in July featuring an AI-generated cover image to promote adult learning workshops, including creative classes. Illustrator Adam Birch complained that using AI to promote creative workshops "devalues" the classes being advertised. The AI-generated cover contained telltale errors, including a figure with only...

read Sep 1, 2025

Japanese artist and former tech enthusiast creates AI installation of tech bro debate over humanity

Japanese-British artist Hiromi Ozaki, known as Sputniko!, has created an AI installation featuring six artificial "tech bros" debating humanity's future, with the avatars trained on philosophies of billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. The artwork, which debuted in Tokyo just before the 2024 US election and Musk's appointment to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, reflects growing concerns about tech elites' influence over society and democratic processes. The big picture: Ozaki's installation represents a broader shift among artists and technologists from tech optimism to "tech fatigue," questioning whether AI-driven efficiency is eliminating the human elements that make life meaningful....

read Aug 28, 2025

Tampa museum debuts AI exhibit to demystify artificial intelligence for families

The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) in Tampa will debut "AI: Your Mind and The Machine," a new exhibit exploring artificial intelligence's historical presence in everyday life through interactive displays and educational content. The family-friendly exhibit aims to demystify AI technology and demonstrate how it enhances rather than threatens human capabilities, opening September 6 with regular museum admission. What you should know: The exhibit traces AI's evolution from early gaming systems to modern applications across multiple industries. Classic games like Pong and Simon serve as examples of early AI implementations, showing how pattern recognition technology has been part of...

read Aug 27, 2025

AI copies Chicago area artist’s work and forges his signature—now what?

Wheaton illustrator Jason Seiler discovered an AI-generated caricature circulating online that mimicked his distinctive artistic style and even included his forged signature. The case highlights the growing legal challenges artists face as AI tools can now replicate years of creative work in minutes, potentially threatening their livelihoods while existing copyright laws struggle to keep pace. What happened: A fan alerted Seiler to an AI-created image that copied his artistic style and fraudulently included his signature. "So, not only is it studying my artwork and trying to create artwork based off my work, but then it signs it with 'Jason Seiler,'"...

read Aug 6, 2025

3 AI-themed theater shows explore humanity’s digital future at Scottish festival

Edinburgh's fringe festival is featuring three AI-themed theatrical productions that explore humanity's complex relationship with artificial intelligence through immersive storytelling and cutting-edge technology. These performances—Dead Air, Stampin' in the Graveyard, and AI: The Waiting Room—use AI as both subject matter and creative tool, reflecting broader cultural anxieties about our technological future. What you should know: Each production takes a different approach to examining AI's impact on human experience and emotional processing. Dead Air reimagines Hamlet with protagonist Alfie using an AI service called AiR to communicate with her deceased father, exploring themes of grief and digital dependency. Stampin' in the...

read Jun 12, 2025

Messi’s iconic goal becomes AI-powered artwork for Christie’s auction

Digital artist Refik Anadol has transformed Lionel Messi's favorite goal into an AI-powered immersive artwork called "A Goal in Life," which will be auctioned at Christie's New York from July 8-22. The piece reimagines Messi's 2009 Champions League final header against Manchester United using millions of data points, with proceeds benefiting Latin American and Caribbean education programs through the Inter Miami CF Foundation. What you should know: Anadol created what he calls a "memory temple" that allows viewers to relive Messi's iconic moment through advanced AI visualization technology. The eight-minute AI Data Sculpture uses 17 body movement points extracted from...

read Jun 11, 2025

Beyond the screen: MIT student creates AI that restores paintings with polymer film “masks”

MIT mechanical engineering graduate student Alex Kachkine has developed a revolutionary method to physically restore damaged paintings using AI-generated polymer film "masks" that can be applied directly to original artworks. The breakthrough technique completed a restoration of a 15th-century oil painting in just 3.5 hours—approximately 66 times faster than traditional methods—while maintaining a digital record of all changes for future conservators. How it works: The method combines AI analysis with physical application through a sophisticated multi-step process. First, conservators clean the original painting and remove previous restoration attempts to reveal the underlying damage. The cleaned painting is scanned, and existing...

read Jun 6, 2025

7 artists at NVIDIA GTC Paris redefine AI as creative collaborator

NVIDIA GTC Paris will feature an AI art gallery showcasing seven exhibitors who use artificial intelligence as a creative partner, from French artist aurèce vettier who trains AI on personal data to create dreamlike oil paintings to Senegalese artist Linda Dounia Rebeiz who documents extinct West African flora. The exhibition, taking place June 10-12 at VivaTech, demonstrates how AI is evolving from a simple tool into what artists describe as "a poetic counterpart in the act of creation," offering new methods for exploring memory, identity, and creative expression. What you should know: The gallery brings together diverse artistic practices that...

read May 23, 2025

Lionel Messi reveals his most cherished career goal and OKs an AI tribute

That is, a literal, physical career "goal." Lionel Messi's first-ever revelation of his favorite career goal marks a significant intersection of sports, art, and philanthropy. The football legend has partnered with renowned media artist Refik Anadol to transform this cherished moment into an AI-powered data sculpture that will be auctioned at Christie's to benefit global education initiatives. This collaboration represents an innovative approach to sports memorabilia that leverages digital art to create lasting social impact. The chosen goal: Messi selected his May 2009 Champions League final goal against Manchester United as his all-time favorite from his 860 career goals. The...

read May 22, 2025

AI both aids and threatens creative freelancers as content generation becomes DIY

The rise of generative AI has created a paradoxical relationship for creative professionals, who simultaneously benefit from its capabilities while facing disruption to traditional income streams. David Neal's personal experience illustrates this tension, highlighting how AI tools have enhanced his creative process while dramatically reducing demand for his illustration side hustle. This evolving dynamic mirrors historical patterns where technological innovation has both eliminated traditional crafts and opened entirely new creative possibilities. The big picture: A creative professional who works across software, content, illustrations, and music experiences both love and hate for generative AI based on its contradictory impacts on his...

read May 19, 2025

Artist-curator Adam Heft Berninger sees opportunity in new NYC gallery venture

Against the backdrop of an art market facing slowdown and correction, artist-curator Adam Heft Berninger is boldly launching a new gallery in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The space represents a fresh approach to technology-based art, focusing on artists who use systematic processes like generative code and machine learning while deliberately avoiding the reductive "AI art" label. This venture highlights an emerging countertrend in the art world—creating intimate, in-person experiences with digital art that emphasize artistic methodology over technological tools. The big picture: Heft gallery offers a specialized platform for artists using systematic approaches while resisting categorization as merely an "AI...

read May 14, 2025

Art lovers anticipate AI-first museum “Dataland,” to open late 2025

The debut of Dataland—the world's first museum dedicated solely to AI-generated art—signals a transformative shift in how we understand and value machine creativity. Set to open in Los Angeles in late 2025 by artist Refik Anadol, this institution challenges traditional collecting paradigms and redefines the relationship between humans, machines, and artistic expression. For art collectors, this evolution represents both an intellectual challenge and an opportunity to participate in redefining what "art" means in the age of artificial intelligence. The big picture: Dataland will institutionalize AI-generated creativity through immersive, dynamic exhibits that respond to visitors' biological data and interactions. The museum...

read Apr 26, 2025

AI-generated dolls spark backlash from traditional art community

The traditional art world is mounting a resistance against the latest AI trend that transforms personal photos into stylized doll images. As human artists struggle to compete with AI-generated content flooding social media feeds, tensions are rising between handmade craftsmanship and algorithmic imitation, sparking a broader conversation about creative labor, intellectual property, and the authentic value of art in an increasingly AI-saturated landscape. The big picture: Artists who create handmade custom figures and illustrations are pushing back against AI-generated "starter pack" doll images that have gone viral across social media platforms. The trend, which began in April 2024, has prompted...

read Apr 25, 2025

Fashion, Future, Forward: CalArts and Chanel unveil AI-focused art and tech center

The partnership between CalArts and Chanel represents a significant investment in the intersection of art and technology, establishing a dedicated center focused on AI and digital imaging. This collaboration signals growing recognition that artists play a crucial role in shaping technological development, particularly in the AI era where creative input can help guide more thoughtful and imaginative applications of emerging tools. The big picture: Chanel is funding a new Center for Artists and Technology at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to begin operations in fall 2025, focusing on AI, machine learning, and digital imaging. The Santa Clarita-based center...

read Apr 22, 2025

Does “AI slop” threaten human creativity in art?

AI-generated images and art are rapidly proliferating across the internet in 2025, fundamentally reshaping our creative landscape. From bizarre fabricated scenes to surreal visuals that defy reality, this content—often labeled "AI slop"—has become inescapable on digital platforms. The phenomenon raises profound questions about human creativity in an era where artificial intelligence increasingly dominates content creation, potentially diminishing our collective ability to distinguish between authentic human expression and machine-generated material. The big picture: AI-generated content has flooded online spaces in 2025, becoming nearly impossible to avoid across social media platforms and digital environments. The material ranges from visibly fake images like...

read Apr 18, 2025

AI transforms architecture in Refik Anadol’s Frank Gehry tribute

Refik Anadol's groundbreaking AI installation at the Guggenheim Bilbao brings architect Frank Gehry's visionary work to life through generative artificial intelligence. The immersive art piece transforms 65 years of Gehry's architectural archive into a dynamic, six-chapter AI experience projected onto the museum's interior walls. This collaboration represents a significant intersection of architecture, artificial intelligence, and art, showcasing how AI can both honor architectural legacy and push creative boundaries in museum settings. The big picture: Turkish-American media artist Refik Anadol has created "Living Architecture: Gehry," an AI-generated tribute to Frank Gehry projected within the architect's own iconic Guggenheim Bilbao museum. The...

read Apr 11, 2025

Filmmaker Harmony Korine partners with Runway to develop AI-powered cinema projects

Harmony Korine's experimental film collective EDGLRD has formed a strategic partnership with AI company Runway, signaling another significant integration of artificial intelligence into traditional creative production. This collaboration between an avant-garde filmmaker known for pushing artistic boundaries and a well-funded AI development platform highlights the growing intersection of experimental cinema and generative technology, potentially establishing new creative workflows for visual storytelling. The big picture: Filmmaker Harmony Korine's EDGLRD has signed a first-look development deal with AI company Runway to create new projects using generative AI tools. Key details: The partnership builds on previous collaborations between EDGLRD and Runway, including work...

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