AI for Arts by Niklas Hageback & Daniel Hedblom

Expressing oneself in art appears to be an integral part of human life and cave paintings are one of the earliest known traces that remain of our ancestors. But what is art really? Why is it so important to us, as it does not seem necessary for mere survival, yet its many formats play such a great role in our lives that it would be difficult to fathom a world void of it. Whilst the styles of art, through the multitude of ways it manifests, do fluctuate, there are some common denominators that reverberate and transcend cultures and time epochs, particularly the representations of the human condition and our reflections on the timeless question of life and death.

Enter artificial intelligence, perhaps soon as clever or even more so than us humans, but without the eternal spiritual ponderings on the meaning of life that are so fundamental in defining who we really are and play a decisive role in governing our behaviour, albeit often in ways beyond our comprehension. So, what does it do to art in its plethora of expressions when artificial intelligence can technically produce it better than us, but lacking the dimension that includes the elusive concept of a soul? AI for Arts is a book for anyone fascinated by the man-machine connect, an unstoppable evolution that is intertwining us with technology in an ever-greater degree, and where there is an increasing concern that it will be technology that comes out on top. Thus, presented here through perhaps its most esoteric form, namely art, this unfolding conundrum is brought to its apex, what is left of us humans if artificial intelligence surpasses us also when it comes to art? The articulation of an artificial intelligence art manifesto has long been overdue, so hopefully this book can fill a gap that will have repercussions not only for the aesthetic and philosophical considerations but possibly more so for the trajectory of artificial intelligence.

An AI Art Manifesto has long been overdue… A must read for anyone with an interest in AI, aesthetics, art and design. Written in co-operation with Daniel Hedblom and soon available on-line and in your local bookstore.