In this workshop we examine the impact of the commercialization of AI images on the professional artist and the skillset of artistic practice. The workshop will focus on the recent development of new and powerful machine learning models that can generate original images through textual descriptions, and which are rapidly being integrated into a wide range of creative tools, such as image search, camera filters, and graphic editors. By introducing subversive methods and techniques, the workshop fosters reflexive considerations on the professional utilization of AI images.

We will dive into the increasingly ubiquitous presence of AI imagery in order to question how these synthetic images are impacting the field of aesthetic practices and forms of critical thinking in the arts. Moving beyond the culture industry recuperation of "everyone is an artist" we promote a more nuanced understanding of democratization and delve into the limitations and opportunities that AI poses on artistic freedom and collective imagination.

We will explore questions about the role of AI as a democratization of art, such as:

• How does AI change the role of the artist? Will more people be able to work with art - and who will they be?
• How does the integration of AI images affect the creative process and the way artists approach their work?
• Does a world where AI imagery is ubiquitous enhance or constrain freedom of artistic expression?
• How does the use of AI affect the authenticity and originality of artistic creations? Is it still possible to claim control over one's visual output?
• What are the ethical and societal concerns regarding AI generated images within the art world?
• How does the democratization of art through AI impact the art market and distribution channels?
• What are the potentially unknowable consequences of AI images on the professional artist and the art world as a whole?

In sum, the workshop encourages a conception of AI images as part of a skillset for questioning the meaning of art and creativity, rather than just being a new way to make art.

Date: 3 May from 11-15

Venue: Bikubenfonden, Lygten 39, 2400 København NV.

Sign up: For participation and subscription to lunch, please write to simonobirek@cc.au.dk.

The workshop includes vegetarian lunch and beverages. Participants should bring a laptop.

Art Hub Copenhagen have also created an event about this workshop on their website, which you can find by clicking here. They have created a Facebook event, too.

The workshop is facilitated by visual artists Asker Bryld Staunæs (Computer Lars) and Kristoffer Ørum (Crayfish) and is organized by Centre for Aesthetics of AI Images (AIIM) at Aarhus University and Art Hub Copenhagen. We would like to thank the SHAPE Research Centre at Aarhus University for funding the workshop.