BEK - Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts has one spot left for an artist, researcher or maker to participate in the ‘Replicator Workshop: A practical speculation on generative AI for physical production’. The workshop is led by visual artist Magnhild Øen Nordahl and researcher Gabriele de Seta, combining their interests in abstraction and machine learning. It will run for three days (6-8 November 2023) in Bergen and result in a presentation during the symposium The Only Lasting Truth is Change on 18 November 2023.
The term ‘generative artificial intelligence’ describes a subset of machine learning systems used to synthesise various kinds of content including text, images, videos, sounds, and 3D models. In contrast to discriminative models which classify existing data, generative machine learning models are capable of synthesising new instances of data according to what they learned from training datasets.
Generative AI has a growing range of applications, which run the gamut from scientific discovery and VFX work to industrial manufacturing and graphic design. Its use across domains results in the development of new creative practices and literacies like prompt engineering and model fine-tuning. The more consumer-oriented side of generative AI is often marketed through appeals to unlimited creativity and the almost magical capability to transform text into images or images into videos.
But what are the limits of generative AI? How does the seemingly endless variation in digital outputs interface with physical production processes? How close is generative AI to the science fictional fabrication afforded by the Star Trek replicator, and what can we speculate about the near future of generative AI for physical production through currently available tools?
In the workshop we will explore available models and tools, such as text and image to 3D-model converters, and develop an experimental pipeline from generative AI to physical production. Through the task of creating one physical object together the workshop participants will use this practical work as a way to discuss the above mentioned questions and to ask new ones.
The workshop participants will be present in person for the three full days of the workshop in Bergen. No previous skills are required, but an interest in working hands on with the above mentioned tools and topics is a must.
BEK will cover travel up to NOK 2500 (~215 EUR), accommodation and a fee of NOK 5000 for participation.
