Artificial Intelligence has seeped into nearly every aspect of our lives in ways both subtle and overt. Our devices, online accounts, vehicles, and security systems have all adapted AI technologies to complete the tasks we demand of them. But as the capacity of AI grows, and as we become more accustomed to its role in our everyday lives, some might argue the boundaries between humanity and technology will become thinner and thinner.
This ever-blurring line is the focus of a fascinating exhibit currently on display at the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus. Curated by Elizabeth Chodos, Paradox: The Body in the Age of AI is a collection of work that “explores the primacy of the human body as it’s poised on the precipice of a potential fusion with artificial intelligence.” The exhibit includes multimedia pieces that incorporate video and three-dimensional sculpture, interactive experiences in virtual reality, sculptural installations designed by or with AI programming, and more.
In “Kyungja,” a floor-to-ceiling visual installation, colorful undulations and evolving patterns form an image resembling—but still not quite exactly—a human face. This large-scale digital rendering was created by Eunsu Kang in collaboration with MMD-GAN and Deep Dream neural networks, and is part of a series of similar pieces. In it, the MMD-GAN program digested and examined many images of the human face, featuring a wide range of attributes and demographics. The result is an uncanny and ambiguous portrait, inspired by the following questions: “Who is the author of this work made in collaboration with AI?” and “Who will decide what factors determine agency in the future?”
Each piece exposes viewers to new realities of living with AI, and is well worth a long visit. Catch this exhibit every day but Monday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Miller ICA until February 5th. It is free and open to the public. More information can be found here.
