Creativity Squared: Interrogating A.I. with Art

Dear Creativity Squared Member,

Discover thought-provoking exhibits that interrogate A.I. through art in Episode 42 with Marlies Wirth, the Curator for Digital Culture and Head of the Design Collection at the MAK — Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. 

As a curator and art historian, Marlies explores the cultural, social, ecological, and political impacts of the digital age and the role of art and design in re-imagining our relationship with the planet.

In today’s conversation, Marlies discusses the relationship between humans and machines and what makes us uniquely human, like our tears, which can’t be automated. We also explore singularity, identity play in immersive environments, and the need to address corrupt human data, which can lead to issues like racial bias in crime prediction. 

Join the conversation as Marlies reflects on the profound impact of digital technologies on culture, such as how the iPhone and social media have fundamentally changed how we interact with the physical world!

Check out Episode 42 today!

As promised, I have my top SXSW 2024 A.I. sessions and takeaways for you in a blog post on Creativity Squared — check it out! 

Next week, I’ll be back in the Lone Star State for the Texas Eclipse Festival, and couldn’t be more excited to be part of the all-star lineup. In addition to the music sets, there will be talks on art, space, and tech. I’ll have another recap for ya when I’m back too.

Last but not least, I want to give another shout-out and appreciation to CincyAI member Chris Brock who recently launched The AI Learning Hub: The 'Netflix for AI'. Explore its extensive library of over 6,000+ A.I. videos, including episodes of Creativity Squared! Dubbed the 'Netflix for AI', this platform caters to learners at all levels, offering a diverse range of A.I. topics in a user-friendly, on-demand format.

Scroll on to discover:

• 🎓 Featured Blog Post: Expand Your Horizons with These 10 Courses That Go Beyond Generative A.I.

• 📆 Calendar of Events: A.I. Conferences & Events Radar

• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🎧 More on Episode 42

• 👯‍♀️ Apply to Join the Clone Club

• 💎 Creativity Squared Premium Member Benefits

• 💝 Milestone Rewards

• ❤️‍🔥 Premium Members: Episode NFT

We’re just getting started, and if you enjoy our content, I’d really appreciate it if you could share, review, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and help spread the word about Creativity Squared in whatever way you’re willing to. Your support is greatly appreciated, and the whole team looks forward to growing with your help. Thank you!

Here's to exponential possibilities!

Helen

p.s. One newsletter pro tip: I know this newsletter is long and often gets truncated. If you click or tap the link “Read Online” in the upper right-hand corner, you can view the web version for easier reading.

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
linkedin / twitter / pinterest / instagram / threads
CreativitySquared.com
youtube / instagram / facebook / tiktok 
How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

🙌 SUPPORT CREATIVITY SQUARED & ARTSWAVE

🎨 I want to live in a world where artists not only coexist with A.I., but thrive. And because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. Consider becoming a Premium Member today! 

🚀 Interested in becoming a sponsor of Creativity Squared? Reach out!

👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS

🐝 We use Beehiiv for this newsletter and Riverside for recording podcast episodes, and recommend them! Using these links also supports Creativity Squared, and we only recommend what we actually back!

🖥 Need a new website or the slightest of help on your current site? Check out e9 Digital — they created, and help us host and manage Creativity Squared’s website! They know how to make accessible websites which I love. Mention Creativity Squared for 20% off too!

📆 A.I. CONFERENCE & EVENTS RADAR

😎 APRIL 5-9: Texas Eclipse Festival, Burnet, TX (Speaker) — If you’re looking for A.I. events to attend next year, do add the Texas Eclipse Festival to your list! On April 8, 2024, there will be a total solar eclipse. The festival, taking place April 5-9 at Reveille Ranch in Burnet, TX (outside of Austin), will bring people together from all over the world to celebrate the 4 minutes of totality amidst music, immersive art, tech talks, wellness activations, and so much more.

I can’t wait to be on stage there to talk all things A.I., avatars, and synthetic media alongside so many talented people and artists, including Alex & Allyson Grey, Android Jones, and Chris Dyer.

🤝 APRIL 16 CincyAI Meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host) — Join me and others interested in all things A.I. at the CincyAI Meetup for Humans, cohosted by Creativity Squared, on Tuesday, April 16, at the UC Digital Futures building from 3-5pm ET. Sign up now!

🥃 APRIL 16 Maker’s Mark ‘Makers + Mixers,’ Cincinnati — After our April 16 Meetup, there will be another Makers + Mixers happy hour taking place from 5:30pm - 7:30pm across the street at the iconic 1819 building. This happy hour is proudly sponsored by Maker’s Mark and is brought to you by CincyAI community partners MidwestCon and Disrupt Now with Rob Richardson at the helm. RSVP for this here! 

APRIL 18 MIT’s Imagination in Action, Boston (Attendee)

APRIL 19 AMA’s IGNITE Conference, Cincinnati (Speaker) 

APRIL 26-28 Future Frequences Retreat, Newburgh, NY (Attendee)

JULY 16-18 Black Tech Week, Cincinnati (Attendee)

JULY 18-19 Data 4 Public Good, Minneapolis (Attendee)

SEPTEMBER 5 & 6: MidwestCon, Cincinnati (Speaker)

SEPTEMBER 10-12: Marketing AI Conference (MAICON), Cleveland (Speaker)

Looking forward to meeting those who can make it in person and geeking out about all things A.I. and creativity!

With all of the A.I. updates flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered with the latest news at the intersection of A.I. and creativity.

Scoop: U.S. wins China's support on AI human rights vote Axios — The world’s governments agreed to use A.I. to pursue 17 sustainable development goals and that the technology falls under the U.N.’s charter to eliminate war. Countries also agreed to develop A.I. in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The development marks an important first step in managing international competition to develop the powerful tech. 

The End of Foreign-Language Education The Atlantic — Will A.I. remove the need for anyone with access to learn a foreign language? Real-time and asynchronous translation in the speaker’s own voice and likeness is already abundantly popular. Learning a language is excellent brain exercise, and not everyone will have access to an A.I. wearable for in-person use, but foreign language translators and educators for businesses and government may want to consider a backup plan. 

Startup Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque Steps Down Bloomberg — The influential leader of an early GenAI darling is handing over the keys amid friction with investors, litigation, and staff turnover. The company is under interim leadership, while Mostaque says he’ll pursue efforts to decentralize the A.I. industry. The company was reportedly exploring a sale before Mostaque’s exit. 

How YouTube is helping creators disclose altered or synthetic content YouTube Blog — Keeping with its membership on the Content Authenticity Initiative’s Advisory Board, YouTube is labeling realistic GenAI content. The policy is limited to fake depictions of real people or real places, with more prominent labels on realistic political content. Fictional content and A.I.-generated production effects will not be labeled. 

Sora: First Impressions OpenAI — Acclaimed A.I.-collaborative filmmaker Paul Trillo says working with Sora is the first time he’s felt “unchained as a filmmaker.” Trillo and a collection of fellow creators produced short films available to watch through the link. The powerful new text-to-video generator captures impressive detail with consistency, but character dialogue appears still out of reach. 

Still not convinced about TikTok’s AI music ambitions? This web of patents and trademarks will change your mind Music Business Worldwide — This reporting suggests that TikTok’s parent company is furiously filing patents in the U.S. through a shell company to corner the market for on-demand audio clips. Documents describe a program that can generate audio based on the motion and content of video. 

Discord opens up to games and apps embedded in its chat app The Verge — The global streaming and chat platform for gamers and online communities is bringing developers into its creative marketplace. Developers can now work with an open SDK to build games and apps for users to access through the activities section. Discord is also reviving app pitches, offering funding for winning ideas.

Listen: E42. Interrogate A.I. with Art
Explore A.I.’s Impact on Culture and Society with Marlies Wirth, Curator for Digital Culture and Head of the Design Collection at the MAK — Museum of Applied Arts

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Pandora | Amazon | Google | SoundCloud | iHeart Radio

Discover thought-provoking exhibits that interrogate technology through art in Episode 42 with Marlies Wirth, the Curator for Digital Culture and Head of the Design Collection at the MAK — Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. 

As a curator and art historian, Marlies explores the cultural, social, ecological, and political impacts of the digital age and the role of art and design in re-imagining our relationship with the planet.

Exhibits Marlies has curated and that we discuss in today’s episode include “Artificial Tears,” “Hello, Robot. Design between Human and Machine,” “Uncanny Values. Artificial Intelligence & You,” “Pardon Our Dust,” “/imagine: A Journey into The New Virtual,” and “edging.” Each explores technology’s impact on society and culture beyond their surface design, which is a lifelong passion and pursuit of Marlies who also regularly takes part in international lectures, talks, and juries on art, design, and digitalization. Alongside her institutional work, she also develops independent exhibition projects with international artists and writes essays and texts for publications.

Did you know that tears have a unique chemical composition based on why you cry? This makes them one aspect of humans that can’t be automated. \

Learn what else can’t be automated about the human experience in today’s conversation.

Check out Episode 42 today!

Apply to Join the Clone Club Today
Digitally Clone Yourself: The Avatar Experience Cincinnati

👯‍♀️ Ready to be digitally cloned? Get your own custom synthetic avatar! Creativity Squared is collaborating with our partner and sponsor, Render, to bring The Avatar Experience to Cincinnati, OH, by appointment that fits into your schedule. Digitally clone yourself to unlock streamlined and dynamic video content — Apply to be cloned today!

There are less than a thousand known hyper-realistic custom synthetic avatars in existence, so participants will be at the forefront of this groundbreaking A.I. technology. Custom synthetic avatars are part of a massive and growing digital avatar market and is projected to be $270B by 2030.

Custom synthetic avatars can be used for creating:

• Dynamic online course instruction

• Streamlined SEO video production of blog or audio-only content

• Turnkey social media and email marketing video content

• Engaging customer service messaging

• And more!

👯‍♀️ In case you missed the announcement, I’ve digitally cloned myself! Learn all about mine in episode E14. Not Deepfaked! I Cloned Myself. You’ll meet Helen 2.ODD, my digital double, and discover why and how I made my A.I.-created custom synthetic avatar.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Share the love of membership benefits. Current members, renew early or upgrade to annual to enjoy this sweet deal. Hurry, the offer ends soon.

Become a Premium Member to Unlock Exclusive Content and Claim Your NFT

Become a Premium Member to unlock exclusive content and to claim your NFTs of episode cover art!

At $10 per month or discounted to $100 for annual memberships, Premium Members enjoy other benefits too:

• $1 per month (or $10 per year) to ArtsWave

• Premium Member NFT

• First-Dibs at Event Invites

• Access to Monthly Exclusive Content (e.g. Helen’s Monthly Must-Know Video Report on the hottest A.I. news)

• Discounts from Creativity Squared Partners

• Thank You by Name in the Creativity Squared Newsletter

There is also a VIP Founding Member tier for those who want lifetime first dibs and access to Creativity Squared content, events, and whatever we dream up!

Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations.

Subscribe to Creativity Squared Premium Membership to read the rest.