AI and Art: a Public Panel
June 3rd, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. I am moderating a discussion in Beeton Hall at the Toronto Public Library reference branch
Everybody’s got an opinion when it comes to things that haven’t happened yet. So, there’s currently a vigorous public discussion going on about whether AI is coming for our souls, our lives, or just our jobs. If you’ve been reading me you’ll know by now that I have very little interest in that kind of speculation.
Exactly what AI is doing to us right now is another matter entirely. Knowing my interest in creating with and through new technologies, Toronto Public Libraries has kindly asked me to moderate a panel discussion on AI art—not to argue over who owns the copyright to Midjourney images or whether virtual actors will soon replace real ones, but rather to see how working artists are using or interacting with AI right now.
I’m really just there to make sure everybody stops talking on time. The real stars of this show come from diverse backgrounds in visual, musical, and multimedia media. They are:
Ashley Beattie: Gigging musician, multimedia AI artist, and head of AI at Agile By Design.
Chris Cowan: A classically trained painter, Chris uses AI art to help her explore themes of female power, fertility, and reproduction.
Dhaivat Jani: Award-winning drummer, tabla player, and composer.
Ryan Kelln: Software artist with over twenty years of experience exploring the intersection of art and computing.
My panelists will be talking about their relationships with AI, and about how it has influenced (or completely changed) the way they produce art. We’re not going to shy away from the training-data issue or the threat to working visual designers that generative AI represents, but I do want to foreground how some people are mastering the tools rather than being mastered by them.
This event is being presented as part of the Provocation Ideas Festival, which is happening in both Toronto and Stratford, Ontario. These events are unabashedly local; we won’t be streaming tomorrow’s talk or recording it. You’re likely not in Toronto (though I know some of you are) but even if you’re not, you might know somebody who lives in the GTA who might find this event interesting. Forward this message to them if you can.
And if you’re here, come on out. Assuming the weather reports are right, it’ll be a beautiful evening, and the reference library will be a two-minute walk from the subway at Yonge and Bloor just after dinnertime. I hope you can make it.
Even if you can’t, have a good day tomorrow, and a better week!
—K
The event was sold out and was a tremendous success. Our 15 minute Q&A at the end went on for 45 minutes; we got kicked out when they closed the library. The ideas and the art were spectacular. Thanks so much to the Provocations team for organizing this, and to Mark and Ryan for inviting me to host.