In the light of artistic research and AI philosophy, an extension of Joseph Beuys’ concept of the ‘expanded concept of art’ is proposed here. This definition takes into account contemporary developments in art, technology and society, particularly with regard to artificial intelligence and its potential impact on humanity.
Definition of the expanded concept of art in the context of the AI era:
The expanded concept of art in the 21st century encompasses not only the traditional view of art as an aesthetic practice, but also the active shaping of social processes and structures. In line with Beuys’ idea of “social sculpture” [1], the concept of art is now expanding to include the collective shaping of our technological future, particularly with regard to the development of artificial superintelligence (ASI).
This expanded definition sees art as a catalyst for an inclusive, interdisciplinary dialogue about the future of humanity in the age of AI. It aims to inspire artists, scientists and the general public alike to contribute to the transparent design of an ethical, responsible and human-centred AI future.
This expanded concept of art in the 21st century therefore not only encompasses the traditional view of art as an aesthetic practice and the active shaping of social processes, but also explicitly emphasises the importance of the co-evolution of man and machine. This approach consciously distances itself from purely post-humanist or transhumanist concepts that could potentially favour a technocratic future.
Instead, the expanded concept of art aims to promote a balanced human-AI design that places the human experience, creativity and ethical considerations at the centre, while at the same time exploiting the potential of artificial intelligence [13]. This concept sees art as the mediator and designer of a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology, in which both sides enrich and develop each other.
Central aspects of this extended definition are:
- Democratisation of knowledge: Making complex AI concepts visible and accessible to the general public through artistic and editorial means. This can take the form of interactive web portals, knowledge databases or multimedia art projects [2].
- Transdisciplinary collaboration: The promotion of exchange between artists, scientists, ethicists and technologists to develop holistic approaches to AI development [3].
- Critical reflection: The artistic exploration of the ethical, social and philosophical implications of AI development to promote broader awareness and informed public debate [4].
- Participatory visioning: Involving different social groups in the process of shaping the future through artistic methods and formats [5].
- Technological literacy: Promoting a basic understanding of AI technologies among the general public as a prerequisite for informed participation in shaping the future of AI [6].
- Co-evolutionary perspective: Promoting an understanding of AI development as a co-evolutionary process in which human and artificial intelligence influence and learn from each other [14].
- Human-AI design: Development of artistic and design approaches aimed at creating AI systems that complement and extend human capabilities rather than replacing them
- Cultural integration: exploring ways in which AI can be integrated into existing cultural practices and value systems to promote harmonious coexistence [16].
Critical discussion and challenges:
While this expanded concept of art offers promising opportunities for shaping the future of AI in society, there are also significant challenges to overcome:
- Complexity reduction vs. accuracy: Simplifying complex AI concepts for a broad audience harbours the risk of oversimplification and potential misinformation [7].
- Technological determinism: There is a danger that artistic visions of AI lead to a technological determinism that ignores alternative development paths [8].
- Elitism and accessibility: Despite the claim to democratisation, artistic-technological discourses could remain elitist and inaccessible to certain population groups [9].
- Ethical responsibility: Artists and researchers bear a great responsibility in shaping narratives about AI futures, which raises ethical questions [10].
- Funding and independence: The realisation of large-scale artistic projects on AI futures requires significant resources, which raises questions of funding and potential conflicts of interest [11].
- Measuring effectiveness: It is challenging to measure and evaluate the actual impact of artistic interventions on the public perception and design of AI technologies [12].
- Balance between human autonomy and AI support: It is a challenge to find a balance between the utilisation of AI potentials and the preservation of human autonomy and freedom of choice [17].
- Avoiding technological dependency: Artistic and design approaches must identify ways to avoid excessive dependency on AI systems without ignoring their potential [18].
- Intercultural perspectives: The integration of different cultural perspectives into human-AI design is crucial to ensure globally inclusive and ethically sound co-evolution.
Conclusions:
The expanded notion of art in the context of the AI era offers a powerful concept for the collective design of our technological future, explicitly aiming at a co-evolution of humans and machines. By combining art, science and public discourse, it can help promote a human-AI design that puts the human experience at the centre while harnessing the potential of AI.
If art and science fail to effectively bring these issues into society, there is a risk that the expanded concept of art loses its transformative power and becomes merely a theoretical construct. It is therefore crucial that artists, scientists and designers actively work on the development and realisation of Human-AI design concepts and bring them into the social discourse.
This broader perspective underlines the need for an ongoing dialogue between art, science and society to shape a future in which humans and AI coexist and co-evolve in a symbiotic, ethically grounded and culturally integrated way.
Literature:
[1] Beuys, J. (1985). Sprechen über Deutschland: Rede vom 20. November 1985 in den Münchner Kammerspielen. In: V. Harlan, R. Rappmann, & P. Schata (Hrsg.), Soziale Plastik. Materialien zu Joseph Beuys (3. Aufl., S. 25-34). Achberg: FIU-Verlag.
[2] Manovich, L. (2020). AI Aesthetics. Strelka Press.
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[12] Belfiore, E., & Bennett, O. (2007). Rethinking the social impacts of the arts. International journal of cultural policy, 13(2), 135-151.
[13] Shneiderman, B. (2020). Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Reliable, Safe & Trustworthy. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 36(6), 495-504.
[14] Steels, L., & Brooks, R. (2018). The Artificial Life Route to Artificial Intelligence: Building Embodied, Situated Agents. Routledge.
[15] Daugherty, P. R., & Wilson, H. J. (2018). Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI. Harvard Business Press.
[16] Gunkel, D. J. (2020). An Introduction to Communication and Artificial Intelligence. John Wiley & Sons.
[17] Bryson, J. J. (2019). The Artificial Intelligence of the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: An Introductory Overview for Law and Regulation. The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI, 3-25.
[18] Carr, N. (2014). The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us. W. W. Norton & Company.