Crit Cross #19: A.I., Art and its Critics

Artificial Intelligence, Art and its Critics

„Contemporary art has become a playground for careerists and narcissists, where self-promotion and shock value have replaced creativity and meaningful engagement with society. Artists like Joseph Beuys, Jeff Koons, and Marina Abramovic have perpetuated this trend, creating works that prioritize shock and spectacle over substance and critical reflection. […]. It is time for a shift towards art that engages with the complexities and challenges of our world, rather than pandering to the whims of the wealthy and powerful.“
This call for change in a densely intertwined contemporary artworld, where most art magazines only publish descriptive or even promotional texts, was not written by Hito Steyerl or Ben Davis, neither was it published by Hyperallergic. These fearless words were strung together by Open AI’s ChatGPT. A.I. is indifferent to hierarchies and allegiances. Does this not make it a better critic? Might the future of art writing lie with AI? Or is there something to the human appreciation of art that remains unique and irreplaceable? As ChatGPT writes: “As an AI language model, I do not have emotions or personal opinions.“ But will people be willing to pay for those in the future?

The same or similar questions could – and should – be asked concerning the production of art itself. Can works produced by A.I. models such as Stable Diffusion or Open Dall-E be creative? Can they be artworks? And how about the copyright of all the works they were trained with – and the works they produce? These are only a few of the most pressing questions this Crit Cross. A Forum on Art Criticism will address.

Texts we will discuss:
Martin Herbert, “I’m an Art Critic. Will AI Steal My Job?“, ArtReview, January 2023

Adam Gopnik, What can A.I. Art teach us about the real thing?, New Yorker Magazine, March 1, 2023

During the session, further contributions by ChatGPT can be discussed as needed.

Crit Cross #19 will take place in English at Depot and be facilitated by Klaus Speidel, an art critic, theorist and curator.

Crit Cross. A Forum on Art Criticism is an open discussion group of current critical writing, organized three times per year by Verein K in Vienna with the aim to create a platform for sustainable art- and sociocritical dialogues in Vienna.