Déjà Vu

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing various industries, and the fields of art and design are no exception. Our focus series in 2024, called Déjà Vu, explored the relationship between AI and human creativity, raising critical questions about the nature, ethics, and future of artistic creation in an age of intelligent machines.

The series name, Déjà Vu (literally “seen before”), builds on the fact that generative AI does not generate new ideas per se but rather rehashes existing ones. While artists from all genres have long drawn inspiration from those who came before them, the greats added a new dimension to their work that made it truly their own.

So, what does the dawn of AI in creative professions mean for art, the people working in the creative industry, and the rest of us? Are we headed towards a world where new games, paintings, TV shows, movies, songs, or commercials feel stale and eerily familiar? With our partners from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève), the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, and the Locarno Film Festival, we dug deep. While we didn’t find definitive answers to those questions, we explored them further with creatives of all kinds, sharpening our thinking and shaping new questions in the process.

In an age where artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly intertwined with our daily lives, the boundaries between human experiences and AI-generated narratives get blurred. As part of our series we further explored the impact of AI on the fields of: * The Creative Practice * Art and Design * Journalism * Gaming A cornerstone of the program was the US debut of the exhibition Assembling Intelligence: Hybrid Strategies for AI, Art, and Design, by the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève). They showcased their take on artificial intelligence through recent research projects and students’ artistic works. The exhibition and related programs showcased and explored how these fields can collaborate to push the boundaries of creativity, provoking thought about the intersection of AI, art, and design.

While we hosted a formal closing of the exhibition, our exploration of AI’s impact on every aspect of the human experience has just begun. We are looking forward to continuing to explore our own human experience with some of the creators who are challenging our notions of what it means to be human.