artificial innovation

by natalie samulka

In the top of Bosch’s center panel, there is a set of futuristic buildings, designed to be symbols of human innovation and progress. The original painting contains modern architectural styles blended with natural elements, such as trees, animals, and human figures. In my collage, I aimed to center ideas of technology, specifically artificial intelligence, in our current moment. In the center of the edifice, I superimposed two paintings: Boris Artzybasheff’s Computer ca. 1965, and Skelet, designed by an Unknown Artist, ca. ~1650-1750. This juxtaposition aims to simulate the corporal form described in AI Does not Have a Body. The article describes the difference between humans and AI, writing, “Humans are biological entities that evolved with bodies that need to operate in the physical and social worlds to get things done. Language is a tool that helps people do that. GPT-3 is an artificial software system that predicts the next word. It does not need to get anything done with those predictions in the real world.” By bridging the gap between these two definitions, my collage references the false personification of artificial intelligence.

The third image I included is a drawing of a parrot, titled Sidewall, which I pixelated to emphasize its artificial quality. The parrot relates to the article You are not a Parrot, featuring Emily Bender, and is intended to contrast Bosch’s animal figures. By editing the colors to match the painting, the parrot better blends in with the other wildlife, making its artificiality more shocking. Through the introduction of this image, I extend Bosch’s theme of integrating nature with futuristic technology to the innovations of the 21st century.

Lastly, I positioned the painting Vase of Fruit, ca. 1846, in such a way that it appears to be growing out of the brain. Several grapes are falling off the stem, with a figure reaching out to grab them in a crescent. This image is designed to represent the ease of consumption on the internet. In the Art, Consumption, and Perspective collage, the fruit of temptation is represented by literature and language. The internet is an extension of this; you don’t even need to take a bite out of the fruit, it simply falls into your hands. Additionally, the diversity of fruit in the vase is designed to represent the wealth of information accessible on the internet. As Bo Burnham would say, “We got a million different ways to engage”.