Hidden Art – When I first began my MA, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. Ultimately I knew it would be something to do with the hidden or the unseen. Initially I began looking at invisible phenomena such as sound waves and the passage of time. However, nothing captured my interest quite as much as augmented reality. It was this whole concept of a hidden unseen world (only accessible to those ‘in the know’), that intrigued me. While conducting research for my Research Paper I discovered that there is a distinct negative bias towards AI generated art. I looked at a number of strategies to help mitigate this bias. Finally, after a number of image polls, used to inform my project, I created a fictitious robot called Athena. Her name was inspired by the old Athena posters from the past. My research was suggesting that humanoid robots with a sad ‘backstory’ could help to reduce bias and win over an audience when presenting AI art. At this point I began to develop a narrative for my robot. During a visit to Barcelona, I was completely amazed by the sheer weight of graffiti adorning the city walls. I […]
Robots Do Not Think? – After speaking with my supervisor Janet Waring Rago, I decided to contact the makers of Ameca (Engineered Arts), currently one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots. I was hoping to gain some insight as to whether Ameca the robot could have an ‘opinion’ or at least produce some commentary on the work of another robot. I felt that this would be an interesting interaction to observe. It could possibly give some insight into whether or not preference featured in a robots repertoire. Unfortunately, from the outset I made the mistake of using the words ‘think’ and ‘thinking’. As a result although I did gain some interesting insights, plus a piece of primary research, the resulting silence from my contact at Engineered Arts made it clear – robots do not ‘think’. Sadly I already knew this, but I had not phrased or articulated my email particularly well. Below is the actual short email exchange with Engineered Arts. Email Exchange with Will Jackson – Engineered Arts Hi My name is Karyn Easton and I’m currently studying for an MA in Fine Art Digital at Central Saint Martins University. I need to produce a research […]
Title: AI Art Reception: Investigating Initial Anonymity and Empathy as Strategies for Negative Bias Reduction Abstract The rapid ascent of AI-generated art raises critical questions for artists working in this medium, particularly regarding the pervasive negative bias it faces among viewers. In the first component of this two part paper, this study investigates the concept of “initial anonymity,” a novel approach wherein artworks are initially presented without disclosing creator details or backstories. Subsequently, the artist’s identity is revealed. This intriguing method challenges traditional perceptions of art by emphasising the pure aesthetic appeal of AI-generated creations. In the second component, this study delves into the compelling realm of empathy as a negative bias-mitigation tool for AI created art. Here, the power of a humanoid robot, equipped with a poignant narrative is harnessed to forge emotional connections between viewers and AI-created art. Inspiration is drawn from the remarkable impact of these narratives on social media engagement. Preliminary Appendix. This pilot study using social media yields promising results, suggesting that both initial anonymity and empathy both exhibit the potential to alleviate negative bias towards AI-generated art. While further rigorous investigation is warranted, these findings pave the way for a deeper understanding of […]
