Talk

MA Curatorial Practice presents Lev Manovich to discuss AI media transformation, drawing on the theoretical analysis being developed in his new book Artificial Aesthetics: Critical Guide to AI, Media, and Design, as well as his experience as an artist working with computers since 1984.

Writing about the new AI image-making tools introduced in 2022, the Financial Times noted that we are experiencing “a pivotal moment in the history of art.”The New York Times has also proclaimed, “A.I.-based image generators like DALL-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have made it possible for anyone to create unique images.” Recently, the founder of Midjourney stated that the next three years will see more aesthetic innovation than the previous two hundred. While such claims may appear overly bold and unrealistic, something significant is undoubtedly taking place.

How should AI generative media be understood in relation to previous media transformations? Can we expect any more aesthetic innovation after a century of modernism (1870-1970) and three decades of digital media (1990-)? How can artificial intelligence be used to rethink art histories and curatorial practices?