Colors of AI

About

AI is both colorful and white, it’s the bright neon colors of the fantasy scenes as well as the systematic whitening of the skin color. In this workshop, we wish to explore the colors in and of AI, spanning from the AI representation of colors in art and the palette of generative AI, to how AI promotes biases of colors in society and its imbalance among the creators of computer creative systems. The workshop is hands-on, striving for a creative environment where the different views and facets of colors in AI can be synthesized into collaborative creative writing and/or an artistic process. To allow more flexibility in developing a shared narrative around the colors of AI, we will accept participants based on abstract submissions.

Georges Méliès, Kingdom of the Fairies, 1903. Phantasy hand-painted scene from the black and white film.

When

Colors of AI will take place as part of ICCC’24, 17—21 June 2024, at the University of Jönköping, in Sweden.

It will last a full day, exact date TBD – STAY TUNED.

Scope

We invite participants to freely interpret the “Colors of AI” concept and submit an abstract they consider suitable to the title. The suggestive workshop name allows a discussion of ideas from different fields and practices of AI taking the term “colors” as a starting point for reflection. Let your imagination run wild! Here are some options we thought of:

AI Representation of Colors in Art

This dimension welcomes research at the intersection between AI, art/art history, and the topics of colors and light. These may include, but are not limited to, the use of AI as a tool to analyze the use of color in the history of art and design; and how colors are used by generative AI to represent specific artistic movements and styles. MORE

The Generative AI Color Palette

The second dimension is a generalization of the first dimension beyond artistic styles. What colors are being used by generative AIs and for what? Can we identify a specific culture of color surrounding specific AIs? Do these respond to any societal interests? We particularly welcome research investigating the color identities created by fine-tuning strategies adopted by popular generative models (Midjourney, DALL•E). MORE

Skin Colors in AI Art

In the third dimension, we consider that in the sphere of AI & Art, representational biases, particularly regarding skin colors, persist, posing potential harm to minority groups. These biases, often stemming from societal prejudices, can result in the reinforcement of stereotypes in the field of Art. This dimension aims to cultivate a more inclusive and equitable space where diverse perspectives, including various skin colors, are celebrated. MORE

AI/Art as a White-centric Intersection of Disciplines

Metaphorically linking colors to racial minorities, genders, and sexualities, the AI & Art research community lacks diversity, impacting the development of tools. The underrepresentation of various groups in both industry and academia can lead to biased algorithms and limited perspectives in the intersection of AI and Art. Recognizing this lack of "color" and investigating it is crucial for fostering innovation that respects diverse needs, making diversity not just a matter of representation but a fundamental aspect of ethically advancing AI and Art. MORE

United Colors of AI Art

A spectrum of expressive flavors emerging with each new issue of AI-powered tools for popular and professional artmaking, such as the current large multimodal generative models (MGMs), influence the changing notions of art, authorship, creative agency, and the future of art as a human faculty. An informed view on contemporary art and AI requires thinking critically about the conceptual and ideological vectors in AI-related cultures, such as computer science, which configure these notional shifts. Equally important is asking how seriously technical changes disrupt our relationships with the core sense of the word “art” and the arts’ relational, economic, and political functions. In the context of MGMs’ democratization of artmaking, postmodernist and post-conceptual art provide valuable but oft-overlooked historical insights. MORE

Get the full scope PDF here.

Submit

We welcome contributions of research and/or artwork proposals on the topic “Colors of AI”. The participants are invited to submit their abstract (max. 500 words) and a short bio (max. 100 words) using the following Google Form by 30 April 2024.

We will accept outstanding early-bird submissions on a rolling basis to facilitate planning the trip to the conference venue. The reviewing process will be handled by the organizing committee and external experts based on the number and topics of the submission.

We encourage participation from diverse fields including but not limited to Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, History of Art, Computational Arts, Media Arts, HCI, etc. We encourage people with any background to apply to the workshop: diverse perspectives will enrich our discourse and narrative significantly and will create the basis for an effective interdisciplinary exchange! Onsite participation is encouraged, but we will also accommodate that some of the participants will connect remotely.

Questions? Please contact piera@ellisalicante.org or ludovica.schaerf@uzh.ch.

Program

The workshop is open to both researchers and artists. It will be an interdisciplinary collaborative experience and the expected outcome(s) will be adapted according to the interests and inclinations of the participants.

Given the different dimensions included in this workshop, the program includes an expert panel (presentations + discussion), whose aim is to define the lens through which the participants will collaborate. After the panel, all the accepted participants will present the topic of their abstract in a few minutes. The rest of the day will be dedicated to the collaboration among the participants and will be more defined and communicated to the participants before the day of the workshop.

Mentors

Piera Riccio (ELLIS Alicante Foundation)

Ludovica Schaerf (UZH-MPG)

Dr. Darío Negueruela del Castillo (UZH-MPG)

Dr. Dejan Grba (IGC-UA Belgrade)

Dr. Nuria Oliver (ELLIS Alicante Foundation)

Poster