The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity

Arthur I. Miller

MIT Press, Nov 10, 2020 - Computers - 432 pages

An authority on creativity introduces us to AI-powered computers that are creating art, literature, and music that may well surpass the creations of humans.

Today's computers are composing music that sounds “more Bach than Bach,” turning photographs into paintings in the style of Van Gogh's Starry Night, and even writing screenplays. But are computers truly creative—or are they merely tools to be used by musicians, artists, and writers? In this book, Arthur I. Miller takes us on a tour of creativity in the age of machines. 

Miller, an authority on creativity, identifies the key factors essential to the creative process, from “the need for introspection” to “the ability to discover the key problem.” He talks to people on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, encountering computers that mimic the brain and machines that have defeated champions in chess, Jeopardy!, and Go. In the central part of the book, Miller explores the riches of computer-created art, introducing us to artists and computer scientists who have, among much else, unleashed an artificial neural network to create a nightmarish, multi-eyed dog-cat; taught AI to imagine; developed a robot that paints; created algorithms for poetry; and produced the world's first computer-composed musical, Beyond the Fence, staged by Android Lloyd Webber and friends.

But, Miller writes, in order to be truly creative, machines will need to step into the world. He probes the nature of consciousness and speaks to researchers trying to develop emotions and consciousness in computers. Miller argues that computers can already be as creative as humans—and someday will surpass us. But this is not a dystopian account; Miller celebrates the creative possibilities of artificial intelligence in art, music, and literature.

Contents

• Seven Hallmarks of Creativity and Two Marks of Genius: 9
• Margaret Bodens Three Types of Creativity: 25
• The Importance of Taking Time off: 31
• The Birth of Artificial Intelligence: 37
• How Alexander Mordvintsev Excavated: 59
• Blaise Agüera y Arcas Brings Together Artists: 71
• What Came after DeepDream?: 77
• Theresa ReimannDubberss AI Looks at the Messiah: 94
• JunYan Zhus CycleGAN Turns Horses into Zebras: 107
• Ahmed Elgammals Creative Adversarial Networks: 113
• GANS Enter the Art Market: 119
• Al Creates Its Own Music: 137
• Adventures: 145
• Gil Weinberg and Mason Bretan and Their Robot: 155
• David Cope Makes Music That Is More Bach than Bach: 163
• The Drunken Pint and Other Folk Music Composed by: 169
• Rebecca Fiebrink Uses Movement to Generate Sound: 175
• Eduardo Miranda and His Improvising Slime Mold: 183
• The Pinocchio Effect: 191
• Al and Poetry: 201
• Nick Montfort Makes Poetry with Pi: 211
• Allison Parrish Sends Probes into Semantic Space: 217
• Ross Goodwin and the First AlScripted Movie: 225
• Beyond: 253
• A Glimpse of the Future?: 263
• What Drives Creativity?: 271
• Computers with Feelings: 281
• The Question of Consciousness: 289
• Two Dissenting Voices: 301
• Can We Apply the Hallmarks of Creativity to Computers?: 307
• Acknowledgments: 315
• Bibliography: 347
• Index: 369

About the author

Arthur I. Miller is Emeritus Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at University College London. He is the author of Colliding Worlds: How Cutting-Edge Science is Redefining Contemporary Art and other books including Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty That Causes Havoc.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity
• Author: Arthur I. Miller
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: MIT Press, 2020
• ISBN: 0262539624, 9780262539623
• Length: 432 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Artificial Intelligence / General; Social Science / Media Studies