Watch / Read / Reflect
These readings, short videos, reflective questions and activities are designed to encourage discussion around common concerns and issues with genAI in the arts. In my courses, I typically ask students to choose one reading and one video.
Reading
Ye Sul Park
White Default: Examining Racialized Biases Behind AI-Generated Images
Explores the race-based biases evident in AI image generation, and the questions those biases present art educators.
Nicholas Leonard
Looks at generative systems as potential collaborators in a "more-than-human" perspective, and considers the relevance of such an outlook to art teachers.
Noah Berlatsky
AI Art Shows the Value of Disability Aesthetics
A blog post by a writer/critic looking at the "flaws" in AI art, and common reactions against them, in the context of common reactions to disabled bodies and artwork by disabled artists.
Viewing
Alexander Avila
How Corporations Hijacked Anti-AI Backlash
[watch from 1:09:40-1:24:35] A cultural critic who is skeptical of the AI industry looks at common artistic arguments against AI art, and critiques those arguments from an art history perspective.
Sarah Urist Green (Crash Course)
Is AI-Generated Art Original? (Authenticity & Originality)
A video from the popular PBS "Crash Course" series where art historian Sarah Urist Green talks about generative AI in the context of art historical debates about authenticity and originality.
Jonas Čeika
What would good AI art look like?
A writer and philosopher talks about the question of whether or not AI Art is or is not art, then goes on to explore what AI art might need to do to be considered 'good art.'
Responding
Write a short (~250-350 word) response below. Do not summarize the readings. Instead respond to these prompts:
- Which reading and video did you choose to engage with? Why did you choose those?
- Each of the videos uses an analogy to art history (e.g. photography, Modernism, Albrecht Durer...) to reframe a common debate about AI art. What did you find helpful (or unhelpful) about these analogies?
- Choose one of the below open prompts to expand on:
- Describe something (specific) new you learned / felt / realized about generative AI, art, and learning from these readings/videos.
- Describe something (specific) you found interesting, and why.
- Describe something (specific) you found concerning, or that you disagreed with, and why.
Discussing in Small Groups
After watching at least one video and reading at least one reading above, please use the prompts and slide resource below to discuss, collaborate, and share back on some common arguments about genAI in the arts, and analogies they may have to arguments about other controversial art practices:
- Please go to THIS SLIDE DECK.
- Join your group-mates on the slide that matches your group number.
- Read the statement on AI art
- What are likely arguments in support of, and opposed to, that statement?
- Read the analogous statement about other art
- Are these really analogous, or is AI a different case? Why? How?
