Art, science and technology come together at Ars Electronica Festival, one of the most important digital art events in the world. Under the title “Artificial Intelligence-the Other Being”, this year’s edition includes a reflection on where technological development takes us.
There is no doubt that the future depends on technology, but will this new technology occupy the place that human beings have occupied so far? The development of Artificial Intelligence (IA) it is impressive in recent years, and investment is increasing in search of successful and innovative technologies. New horizons are looming in the very near future.
In this context, the edition of ARS Electronica Festival 2017, which focuses on cultural, psychological and philosophical aspects, beyond technology. Artificial Intelligence offers us a sensory experience and presents us with machines capable of being artists by themselves.
The festival, held every September in the Austrian city of Linz, has become in the last 30 years one of the most important digital art in which artists, scientists and technologists participate. It is especially characterized by hosting conferences, exhibitions, innovative projects, exhibitions, digital music and sound art and, in short, a platform for exchange and meeting.
As he explains Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of the festival, ” art forces us to think beyond our own limits, to ask ourselves if what the industry shows us is how much we can do with technology, or if we can do other things”.
Why do we embark on an adventure like AI?
This edition addresses the vision, expectations and fears that we associate with the idea of a future and integral Artificial Intelligence, leading us to the fear of being replaced by autonomous mobile robots and intelligent digital assistants.
It would be difficult to compete with them, but the point is that it will generate new possibilities around a technology that advances very fast in the field of Machine Learning, robotics or the Internet of Things.
Conflict is assured between people and machines, asking whether our success depends on development or, on the contrary, weakens us by destroying an environment on which we depend. So do we see Artificial Intelligence as a threat or as an opportunity to take advantage of what it offers us?
