Week 1
In the first class, when I learned about computer vision, I began to consider how AI art may employ it. I believe my essay theme will be AI art. I have found out that because computer vision is a branch of AI that studies how computers can interpret and comprehend visual data, there is a direct connection between computer vision and AI art. AI art frequently uses this technology to produce images, movies, and other types of media that can react to and interact with their surroundings. AI art, for instance, can be used to make interactive works that react to the presence of people or to produce whole new pictures or films each time they are seen. AI can also be used to produce art by leveraging the technology to make original pictures or films that aren’t reliant on previously collected information but rather on the output of the AI model itself.
Weeks 2 & 3
Since AI art can be used to produce visual elements that may be used in visual storytelling, such as photographs, videos, and animations, I started to draw connections between it and visual storytelling after the lectures on the topic. AI can also be used to analyse and interpret visual content in order to better comprehend and advance the narrative. A video can be analysed using an AI algorithm to find critical frames or sequences that are important to the plot, or it can be used to create new visual elements that will create dynamic visual narratives.
Week 4
I realised that AI art might be regarded as a form of simulacra after learning about Baudrillard’s theory of simulacra and simulation. It is a representation or imitation of something that is real or imagined. Instead of using traditional art-making methods, AI art is created using computer software and algorithms, and it frequently imitates the look or aesthetics of works of human-made art. Additionally, AI art can be utilised to produce brand-new types of artwork that aren’t conceivable using conventional techniques as well as to imaginatively alter already-existing works of art. AI art is a type of simulacra because it may imitate, produce, or manipulate art in ways that are challenging or impossible to do with conventional techniques.
Week 5
I have decided that my essay will be on whether AI can be considered real art. I plan to discuss the various grounds for and against the use of AI in art as well as the controversy over whether such art is actually art. I also want to outline how AI can be used in novel and creative ways, such as a tool for art creation.
Week 6
This week Schemata theory jumped out to me. I feel like it may be utilised to guide the development of AI art-generating algorithms. Schema theory, for instance, might be used to direct the creation of AI algorithms that produce art that is more accessible or relatable to human viewers by understanding how individuals absorb and understand visual information. Researchers may be able to better understand how people view and interact with AI-generated art by using schema theory to examine the cognitive processes that take place when people watch it.
Week 7
In this week’s lecture, the topic of Constructivism was covered. In that algorithms and computer processes are used to generate the artwork rather than more conventional human-centred methods like drawing or painting, AI art can be seen as a sort of constructivism. AI art comes within the constructivism movement, which stresses the role of the artist as a constructer rather than a creator. This is because the artist uses computational tools to create the artwork. The interaction of technology and art, as well as how new technologies can be employed to generate new forms of artistic expression, is another topic of interest for constructivism and AI art.
Week 8
After learning about Mimesis in this week’s lecture, I have deduced that AI employs technology to duplicate or imitate some characteristics of human creativity, it might be viewed as a type of mimesis. AI can be used, for instance, to create new music or visuals that mimic works by people. Some AI artwork is made explicitly to imitate the styles of well-known painters, while other AI artwork is made using more abstract or experimental techniques. Although it’s important to remember that not all AI art mimics human creativity or reality; some AI art is produced utilising more unconventional and non-representational techniques.
Week 9
I worked on my essay more. I have the full argument structure outlined, and I’m now embellishing my arguments by inserting sources. Since the field of AI art creation is relatively new, it was quite hard to find sources pertinent to my specific essay. Therefore the majority of my inferences within the essay were mine alone, however, I doubt they will be heavily contested since they are simply concepts within AI art creation that have been taken to their logical conclusion.
Week 10
After learning about Semiotics, I’ve found that although artificial intelligence and semiotics are two distinct disciplines, they can be related in the context of art produced by AI. The study of signs, symbols, and the meaning they convey through communication is known as semiotics. Semiotics can be applied to the context of AI-generated art to examine the signs and symbols present in the work and to decipher the meaning or message the artwork is trying to convey. On the other side, AI may produce art utilising techniques and algorithms like computer vision, generative models, and neural networks. Based on patterns and guidelines they have discovered from a dataset of existing art, these AI models can be trained to produce photos, movies, and other types of art. The meaning that the artwork expresses and the ways in which the algorithm reflects that meaning can be understood by analysing AI-generated art using semiotic techniques.
Essay Process
A formidable issue while writing my essay was a lack of focus and direction. This is because I knew roughly what I wanted to focus on, however, I had not clearly defined the main purpose of the essay. This meant that at first I included a lot of irrelevant information and went off-topic frequently. For example, I wanted to include what I had learned from each lecture and linked to AI art creation. After many tenuous links to each lecture topic were made, I ultimately decided that this was compromising the clarity of my essay. I realised that to overcome this, it is fundamental to have a clear essay title in mind – this would aid me in staying on topic and provides direction and purpose for the remainder of the essay. Having clearer guidelines also would have helped, to serve as a road map and assist my thought and concept organisation, as well as guarantee I only had details relevant to my line of argument.
Throughout the writing process, one thing I think I excelled in was idea generation. I had a lot I wanted to say, and at first I was 1000 words over the word count. It was sad to have to delete things I was quite proud of. Despite the lack of publications relating to AI art, I enjoyed the fact that this gave me the freedom to come to my own conclusions surrounding the topic. To form my arguments I adopted a process called ‘freewriting’ this is a technique where I wrote down whatever came to my mind for a predetermined amount of time, without caring about grammar, punctuation, or organisation. This helped me generate a lot of ideas in a relatively short amount of time, as well as ignite my creative thinking ability.
Another problem I had while writing this essay was time management, which has been a recurrent theme throughout my academic experience so far. It most often comes about when I’m so confident in my ability to do something efficiently and to a good standard, that it envelops me into a false sense of security – I start to feel as if I’ve already finished my work before I’ve even started it. Although in this project I made an effort to overcome this. This was through the means of making a schedule that dictated the routine for writing the essay. This worked quite effectively up until Christmas when I decided to take a break for a few days. Very pleased with my progress so far, I allowed a break of a few days to turn into a break of a few weeks – they say old habits die hard.
In conclusion, time management and lack of focus and direction were the main difficulties encountered while writing this essay. It was discovered that having a distinct essay title and instructions made it easier to stay on subject and gave the essay a purpose and focus. Freewriting was additionally a useful tool for coming up with ideas and sparking my imagination. However, time management proved to be a persistent problem, and attempts to address it, including
developing a schedule, was successful but not fully implemented. Overall I am happy with my essay and look forward to the feedback I will receive.