AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE:
Experimenting with Generative AI for sounds, images and texts
Image: still from ‘Thank You For Not Answering’ (2023) Dir: Paul Trillo. A short film made with Runway’s Gen-2
“What kinds of new minds are being released into our world? The response to ChatGPT, and to the other chatbots that have followed in its wake, has often suggested that they are powerful, sophisticated, imaginative, and possibly even dangerous. But is that really true? If we treat these new artificial-intelligence tools as mysterious black boxes, it’s impossible to say. Only by taking the time to investigate how this technology actually works—from its high-level concepts down to its basic digital wiring—can we understand what we’re dealing with. We send messages into the electronic void, and receive surprising replies. But what, exactly, is writing back?” – Cal Newport, ‘What Kind of Mind Does ChatGPT Have?’, The New Yorker, April 2023
STUDIO QUESTION
What is generative AI and how can it be used to co-create unique and thoughtful creative outcomes? How does it intersect with older modes of media production? What are the ethical, social, and philosophical implications of generative AI?
STUDIO DESCRIPTION
This studio will journey into the speculative and experimental frontiers of generative AI, exploring the uncharted and emerging territories where these applications intersect with new forms of media, writing, music, art and culture.
Using publicly accessible tools and interfaces— such as Chat GPT (text), MusicLM (audio), Runway (video), Midjourney (images), and others — we will navigate this emerging landscape, diving into the challenges, provocations, and lines of inquiry that arise when contemplating the future of media in the emerging era of generative AI.
One aspect we will explore is the concept of ‘prompting’ as a new mode of production. Working within and between contexts of cinema, music, literature, experimental art and more, we will experiment with various forms of prompts, exploring their potential to spark creativity, provoke critical thought, and disrupt traditional notions of authorship and artistic intent.
Through a speculative lens, we will examine how generative AI technologies reshape the landscape of media and culture. What can an AI-assisted film / book / music album be? What happens when AI algorithms become co-creators, collaborating with human artists in a dynamic interplay of generative expression? How do generative AI systems challenge established notions of aesthetics, style, and cultural production? What new narratives, aesthetics, and experiences emerge from this symbiotic relationship? What are the ethical, social, and philosophical implications of generative AI?
STUDIO LEADER
Alan Nguyen is an international-award-winning writer, director and designer. He writes for TV and streaming (Disney+, NBCU, ABC, SBS) theatre (Melbourne Theatre Company, Arts House) and works with new emerging technologies such as VR, AR and AI (Australia Council for the Arts, EyeJack). He is a Lecturer in Media at RMIT.
STUDIO COLLABORATOR
Joel Stern is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Media and Communication at RMIT, and an Associate Editor at Disclaimer journal. With a background in experimental music, Stern’s work — spanning research, curation, and art — focuses on practices of sound and listening and how these shape our contemporary worlds. His current work focuses on ‘machine listening’ and the relationship between sound and the politics of automation and AI. From 2013-2022 he was the Artistic Director of sonic art organisation Liquid Architecture.