AI, Art, and New Technology: A Look at the Future
On December 2, 2024, the Commonwealth Club of California hosted a forum titled “AI, Art, and New Technology: Threat or Opportunity?” The event brought together artists, scientists, and technologists to explore the rapidly evolving relationship between art and artificial intelligence. The discussion aimed to uncover the potential of new technologies in creative expression, activism, and the evolving roles of artists in the 21st century.
This event promised an exciting opportunity to interact with the artists and see a realistic portrait-drawing robot. The forum provided insights on how technology reshapes the art world, culture, and the creative landscape.
Speakers and Their Perspectives
The event featured several prominent figures:
- Brett Amory: An interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. Amory, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stanford University, has exhibited his work internationally.
- Ahna Girshick: An artist-scientist with a Ph.D. in vision science. Exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (NY), The Contemporary Jewish Museum (SF), and other institutions.
- Hugh Leeman: An artist and lecturer, Leeman’s work utilizes art and technology for community activism, connecting unhoused individuals to new technologies and, more recently, preserving cultural knowledge.
- Şerife Wong: A Turkish-Kānaka Maoli artist and leader of Icarus Salon, a conceptual art organization focused on politics, culture, and technology. Wong has received numerous awards for her work on AI and serves on the boards of several organizations focused on technology and art.
- Stephen Milborrow: Bay Area artist and inventor, whose current project is focused on creating a portrait drawing machine that recreates realistic pen-on-paper portraits.
The forum was organized as a member-led program of the Commonwealth Club, with Gerald Anthony Harris of Quantum Planning Group as the moderator. The event explored the transformative impact of AI on creative fields and offered a space for meaningful dialogue about the future of art and technology.
