Artificial intelligence and art : functions and frictions in the contemporary artworld

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms industries, the world of art and cultural management finds itself at a critical crossroads. AI-generated images, music, literature, and curatorial tools are no longer experimental. They are now part of the mainstream creative process. The question is no longer if AI belongs in the arts, but how we engage with it ethically, meaningfully, and imaginatively. At its best, AI is a tool that can challenge creative norms, democratize access to production, and reveal patterns and possibilities that human artists might overlook. Optimistically, it is seen by some not as the end of creativity but as a new kind of collaboration. However, the risks are real. When AI generates works trained on massive datasets without attribution or consent, questions of authorship and ownership surface. When algorithms are used to curate or program cultural content based on popularity metrics, there is risk of narrowing the spectrum of artistic voices rather than expanding it. If cultural institutions prioritize AI for cost-efficiency over human insight, the soul of curatorial and artistic work could be lost. As part of my efforts to immerse myself in the field of AI and explore its relevance to the arts and creative industries, I had the pleasure of speaking with Octavio Kulesz, a philosopher and a widely respected expert in AI ethics. His work focuses on cultural diversity and the creative industries in the digital age.