Artificial intelligence is only one part of the creative process. It’s one of the guys.
Let's not forget that Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism were once considered swear words, too.
- Carl De Cleen -
Artificial intelligence (AI) has stirred controversy ever since it entered public consciousness. Like many disruptive innovations before it, AI challenges long-held assumptions about what machines can and cannot do. The idea that a machine may display behaviours traditionally regarded as uniquely human, and in some areas even surpass human capabilities, is for many people both fascinating and unsettling.
Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the arts. Many people believe that artistic creation belongs exclusively to humans, making AI-assisted art a particularly sensitive subject. As soon as AI becomes part of the creative process, questions arise about authorship, authenticity and originality. Not only the artwork itself, but also the role of its creator, is often scrutinised and debated.
Sometimes I feel like those artists at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, who were vilified for their innovative approach.
- Carl De Cleen -
One of the Guys
Within the Christi Carlo project, Carl and Christine do not regard AI as a threat. Instead, they explore the value it can bring to the creative process, and the new possibilities it offers for artistic experimentation and discovery.
Just as many contemporary artists work alongside studio assistants and rely on the skills and craftsmanship of others in the creation of their work, AI has also become part of the team at Christi Carlo. Sometimes it contributes ideas, sometimes it assists in their realization, sometimes both, but never alone.
AI does not have to be an adversary. Carl and Christine see it as their responsibility to engage with this emerging technology openly, critically and without prejudice, studying its potential and exploring its possibilities. In this respect, they are following a path taken by many artists before them, embracing new tools while remaining firmly in control of their own creative vision.