The pitfalls of smart photography
“27,000 image files in the mobile’s memory, four million photos shared worldwide on Instagram every hour: Can we still see the wood for the trees in this forest of photos? It all happens as if by magic: face recognition, object tracking, night mode. Nowadays, digital cameras all work with AI-supported systems; we all take their capabilities for granted. And we haven’t even talked about smart surveillance or deepfake generators yet. We need to take good care of our basic rights and values going into the future – in the world behind the mirrors.”
(Kirsten Kleie, Head of Photography & Video/Film at the Münchner Volkshochschule adult education centre)
A new take on music
“Artificial intelligence can inspire us as a symphony orchestra and present new approaches to music, for example through interesting concert programmes or new compositions. But true art is always created through intuition and emotion; AI cannot replace the depth and expression of a living performance by real musicians. So we draw the line at the point where we lose artistic essence, individuality and authentic experience of music.”
(Florian Wiegand, Executive Director of the Munich Philharmonic)
Graphic design with soul
“Using generated forms as a source of inspiration can be a useful tool, and simplifying repetitive processes through technology is welcome. But the way I see it, the magic remains in the curation and the reflected use of these tools by us designers. We should continue to value manual work and not forget about the soul in what we do. Because interesting design takes time and often arises in precisely those moments that we are getting rid of through the use of AI.”
(Nicolas Bernklau, graphic artist and type designer. Speaker at the lecture series of the Typografischen Gesellschaft on 1 April)
Practical tool without emotion
“AI can be a great tool for carrying out everyday tasks. But especially in music, it is difficult to define the meaning of ‘everyday’. Sound design, EQ settings or compression could fall into this definition, but they help create moods and affect creative decisions. We would rather want AI to do our tax returns or clean our house than have it replace the expression of our feelings – feelings that arise from real-life experiences, emotions and desires.”
(Tangerine Dream, pioneers of electronic music. Perform on 27 April in the Isarphilharmonie)
For a human art
“I love different forms of art and music. I don’t find it at all objectionable if others decide to use AI: the possibilities are endless and exciting. But for myself, have decided that I don’t want my art to be too artificial. My approach to writing lyrics and songs is based on approachability, vulnerability and authenticity. As long as there is no artificial intelligence that is capable of feeling, it cannot and will not help me. We are already living in an age in which algorithms dictate much of what we see. I would like to see at least art remain human for as long as possible.”
(Enno Bunger, singer-songwriter. Performs on 12 April in Hall X)
Text: Gasteig-Redaktion
