The Art Angle Podcast: How Artificial Intelligence Could Completely Transform Art

This week, chief art critic Ben Davis joins the podcast to discuss A.I. art, a topic at the heart of his new book, "Art in the After Culture."

Is artificial intelligence going to help artists or replace them? Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Welcome to the Art Angle, a podcast from Artnet News that delves into the places where the art world meets the real world, bringing each week’s biggest story down to earth. Join us every week for an in-depth look at what matters most in museums, the art market, and much more, with input from our own writers and editors, as well as artists, curators, and other top experts in the field.

 

A tremendous amount of attention is being paid these days to NFTs and their whiplash market oscillations: good or bad, a flash in the pan or here to stay? But there’s an argument to be made that NFTs are actually, at best, a distraction from the real mind-blowing, totally profound, technological revolution that is poised to change art as we know it forever. And that is the rise of A.I. art. So what, exactly, is A.I. art, and is artificial intelligence here to help artists or to make them obsolete?

These are big, thorny questions—and it just so happens that there’s a brilliant essay on the topic at the heart of the brand new book by Artnet News chief art critic Ben Davis titled Art in the After-Culture: Capitalist Crisis and Cultural Strategy. Ben’s new book is a combination of traditional critical essays and speculative fiction, the kind of book filled with deep insights that will become a touchstone for future generations. 

This week, Ben returns to the podcast to discuss the truly odd images he has conjured using one of the most popular A.I. art apps, and what the future of the art world might look like as the machines take over.

ED SHEERAN painted by Basquiat

Image generated by AI art generator The Night Café from the text prompt “Ed Sheeran painted by Basquiat.”

AI Art: Alexandra Daddario in the style of M.C. Escher

Image generated by AI art generator The Night Café from the text prompt “Alexandra Daddario in the style of M.C. Escher.”

 

 

 

The Art Angle Podcast: Want to Wear a Basquiat? Inside the Big Business of Artist Merch

‘Our Role Is Really to Push Back From Rules’: Nari Ward on How To Make a True Portrait of New York City

The Secret Codes of World-Class Art Auctions, Demystified

Is the Venice Biennale Any Good? Here’s What Three Art Critics Think

‘The Artwork Would Almost Have to Double In Price’: Is Fractional Art Investing the Future of the Market, or a Scam?

‘Be Comfortable With Not Knowing Everything’: How a Mysterious Whitney Biennial Confronts Our Anxious Moment

‘They’ve Created Perceived Value Out of Thin Air’: The Whole Bored Ape Yacht Club Phenomenon, Explained

‘You Can Absorb the Traumas of the Time, But Also Open Up to the Future’: Cecilia Alemani on Curating Her Venice Biennale For an Anxious Era


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.