Creativity cannot be computed
A presentation at Hello Stavanger in in Stavanger, Norway by Hidde de Vries
Creativity cannot be computed T HIDDE DE VRIES - HELLO S
Hi, I’m Hidde 👏 Web standards at the Dutch government (like WCAG, WCAG-EM and EN 301 549) Advisory Board at W3C Blogger at hidde.blog Here in personal capacity
I love computers
but we tend to overestimate their power
we tend to overestimate tech progress
Creative Review, 21 September 2021
T
we tend to overestimate computing
while underestimating creative work
“I th – Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, in interview with T i theverge.com/24253481/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-ar-glasses-orion-ray-bans-ai-decoder-interview
“Creat – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI at WSJ T i youtube.com/watch?v=byYlC2cagLw
“You can see Dall-E generate amaz – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI at WSJ T i youtube.com/watch?v=byYlC2cagLw
“Creat – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI at WSJ T i youtube.com/watch?v=byYlC2cagLw
i What
Computing = manipulating numbers
~2000 BC y Clay tablets in Babylonia (present-da
~2000 BC Plimpton 322 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plimpton_322
Computing = manipulating numbers
Computing = manipulating data
Computing = completing tasks automatically
Computing = throwing tech at something
Charles Babbage
TT
Diagram with Note G Ada Lovelace
“It i – Ada Lovelace, also in Note G
hidde.blog/book-tip-turings-vision
“AI was harder than we thought.” – John McCarthy (2006) From Melanie Mitchell’s presentation “Why AI is harder than we think”
T T 1843 1933 1952-1955 2002 Compilers and COBOL First robotic vacuum cleaner 1965 2007 First software engineer on Apollo missions Invention of the iPhone
2024 “AI will fix all of our problems”
“It i – Ada Lovelace, in her notes
i Creat
Creativity = problem solving Old-school hacking Sunsetting products Election security Looking beyond the AI hype
T
T Video for “Manon” by De Jeugd van egenwoordig
choices
Immanuel Kant: the ability to produce works that are not only “or g nal”—since “there can be original nonsense” —but also “exemplary” i i plato.stanford.edu/entries/creativity
Boden’s three types of creativity i i Comb Exploratory Transformat
Boden’s three types of creativity Comb Exploratory Transformat i i Espresso tonic, Rotterdam (2022)
Boden’s three types of creativity Comb Exploratory Transformat i T i Herbie Hancock + band in oronto (2024)
Comb Exploratory Transformat i he steam engine i T Boden’s three types of creativity
Boden’s three types of creativity Comb Exploratory Transformat i i Quincy Jones
Creativity Art Design Aesthetics
Creativity is it new & interesting ?
Creativity is it new & interesting ? Design does it function?
Creativity is it new & interesting ? Design Aesthetics s i h t is ? l u f i t u a be does it function?
Creativity Art Design Aesthetics is it new & interesting ? what makes it art? s i h t is ? l u f i t u a be does it function?
Creativity Art
Entertainment
What is art? Films, books, paintings, poetry, photography, music, sculpture, performances, plays, operas, street art, comedy, literature, video games, some of your toots.
Art isn’t always easy to recognise
“All the good times we spent together” by Alexandre Lavet (2016).
“Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp (1917).
T “Peanut butter platform” by Wim . Schippers (1969).
Art is legitimised
Art is legitimised Artist puts it out “as art” Audience wants to pay for it Institutions want to display it
Art has critics
Art has critics Well executed Original / creative Great ideas/concepts Clichéd Captivating Stunning
Art is appreciated conditionally
You and me baby ain’t nothin’ but mammals
So let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Appreciating art Personal experiences Knowledge of context in history Knowledge of artist Descriptions Prerequisites (like language)
Appreciation is a continuum read artist’s biography no context gone through similar struggle art historian specialised in this genre
Art is repeated
T Scene from La raviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York
Still from music video of Portishead’s version of “SOS” by ABBA
choices
Art is repeated
David Hockney Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures)
Art is repeated
Art is repeated
Art may contain intentions
Students interview artist Geoffrey Chadsey tang.skidmore.edu/collection/explore/202-shifting-poses
laurents.art on Instagram Künstler/in 👦🖌🎨 3 Years old 🇩🇪
choices
repeats/ reimagined critics legitimisation Art is fuzzy intentions (maybe) appreciation
i Art = l
What can art do?
Art can make the artist think
Artists process life through their art
i Fr
i Fr
Art can also make the audience think
Art can show us futures we should not want
Art can capture the political zeitgeist
Art can show us what’s wrong in reality
Art can show us a mirror to reflect
De Zaak Shell, Bureau Vergezicht (2024)
Devolved Parliament, by Banksy
Details from “Devolved Parliament” by Banksy, copyright graffiitstreet.com
Konzerthaus columns covered with 14,000 discarded life vests (2016) . Photo copyright Clemens Bilan / Getty Images
T Paul McCartney singing “Yesterday” in New York (1965) . Still from You ube.
T T Adele singing “Someone like you” at iny Desk (2011) . Still from You ube.
Photo of Ai Weiwei’s S.A.C.R.E.D. installation (2013) .
Art can be used to show solidarity Led by Donkeys paint the Ukranian flag a year after the Russian invasion (2023)
Marvin Gaye singing “What’s going on”.
Still from video of “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar.
T Kendrick Lamar performing on top of a police car at BE awards (2015)
Me be – Kendrick Lamar, in interview with i T tmz.com/2015/07/02/kendrick-lamar-responds-alright-geraldo-rivera-bet-awards-controversy-tmz-live/
Me be – Kendrick Lamar, in interview with T i tmz.com/2015/07/02/kendrick-lamar-responds-alright-geraldo-rivera-bet-awards-controversy-tmz-live/
Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888). Activists throw a can of tomato soup on the work at National Portrait Gallery (2022).
What it is like to love
I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now
You are / my fire / the one / I desire
What it is like to try and understand other people
What it’s like to be fed up with the status quo IJSLAND at Melkweg, Amsterdam
What it’s like to be young
Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937)
Bebelplatz / Opernplatz, Berlin (Wikipedia)
T “ he Empty Library” by Micha Ullman (Wikipedia)
AI i – Oliver Reichenstein, “AI and the end of writing”
AI i – Oliver Reichenstein, “AI and the end of writing”
Art can insult the audience
“In and Out of Love (White Paintings and Live Butterflies)”) by Damien Hirst
Mistakes in art can be beautiful
Art can make us think Art can move us Art can take a stance Art can support a movement Art can capture complex human human experiences Art can record collective memories
Art can make us think Art can move us l l a l a n o t p o Art can take a stance Art can support a movement Art can capture complex human human experiences i Art can record collective memories
the point isn’t always the art itself
The art intention reflection research skill i world view art
The art voice life experience talent background i culture art
The aud i art shared experiences
“Pop mus i — Mat Dryhurst
The aud emotion art reflection empathy understanding i inspiration
an artwork before making / after releasing Source: Wikipedia (Iceberg)
Net als altijd gingen we naar de eetzaal en Meaning is in between the lines aten ons avondeten. We gingen in bad. Daarna maakten we een es goede wijn open die ik voor een speciale gelegenheid had bewaard. We dronken er samen van en ik speelde gitaar. Haar gebruikelijke favorieten van de Beatles zoals “Nor wegian Wood” en”Michelle”. Het was heel gezellig. We deden het licht uit, we kleedden ons uit en kropen in bed. Het was een heel warme nacht en zelfs met het raam fl open kwam er geen zuchtje wind naar binnen.
can computers have intention skills reflection experiences research a world view ?
Computers are often part of the toolset to make artifacts. T T Still from “What is echno?” by 343 Labs on You ube
“It’s a tool.” – Mira Murati, (then) C T youtu.be/yUoj9B8OpR8
i Open quest
Environmental impact
Environmental impact Copyright infringement
Environmental impact Copyright infringement
Environmental impact Copyright infringement Vector for abuse
Environmental impact Copyright infringement Vector for abuse Not open
Environmental impact Copyright infringement Vector for abuse Not open Risk of dullness
Risk of dullness
i Creat
i Art is as much about the art
i Art is much more than an art
“It i – Ada Lovelace, in her notes
We can use computers to express ourselves creatively
But making creative work is about process, intentions and creativity.
But making creative work is about process, intentions and creativity. Not the output or tools.
I love computers
but they don’t use creativity in the way artists can
Make art
Enjoy art
Slides + links are live on h i T Thank you!
tante, On “AI” Art https://tante.cc/2024/09/06/on-ai-art/ SEP, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/art-definition/ Ada Lovelace https://computerhistory.org/blog/ada-lovelace-day/ National Geographic, “ program” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/ article/this-countess-of-computing-wrote-the-first-computer-program https:// raysolomonoff.com/dartmouth/boxa/dart564props.pdf T Review of one of Boden’s books https://anyoldmusic.com/creativity-and-artbook/ T T Links
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ archive/2024/07/generative-ai-music-suno-udio/679114/ Li Jin, “‘Pop Music Is a Promise Can and Can’t Do” https://variant.fund/articles/pop-music-ai-holly-herndonmat-dryhurst/ T Melanie Mitchell, “Why AI is Harder T T Links
Dorothy K. Stein, “Lady Lovelace’s Notes: Victorian Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1 (1984), 33-67. https://www.jstor.org/stable/ 3826758 L.F. Menabrea, “Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage”, Scientific Memoirs, 3 (1843), With notes upon the Memoir by the Margaret A. Boden, “Creativity and artificial intelligence”, Artificial Intelligence, Volume 103, Issues 1–2 (1998), 347-356, T T Articles
Books Du Sautoy, The Creativity Code. Boden, Creativity and art (2010). Hofstadter, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models Of The Fundamental Mechanisms Of Thought (2008).
Computers are great. But should we put them in charge of creativity? Can they push boundaries, take moral stances, move audiences or turn personal experiences into works of art that resonate? In his talk, Hidde will make the case for making and enjoying art, in all its shapes and forms. We’ll explore what makes art special, to understand better what it means to delegate its creation to computers.
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
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Elon Musk’s 2013 predictions that didn’t happen
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Interview with Sam Altman at WSJ
In which he says creativity has been easier for AI than people thought.
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Plimpton 322
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Ada Lovelace’s notes with her translation
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Turing’s Vision book
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Proposal for summer project on AI
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Music video “Manon”, Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
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Peanut butter platform
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Interview with Mira Murati
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MIT Technology Review: Why Microsoft made a deal to help restart Three Mile Island
“A once-shuttered nuclear plant could soon return to the grid.”
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Google’s Search For AI-Enabling Secure Energy Goes Nuclear - Forbes
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Amazon signs agreements for innovative nuclear energy projects to address growing energy demands
