The Intersect: Art in Tech and Tech in Art - Creating With or Against the Machine: Artists Who Challenge AI

Greetings from Juergen

Hi there,

This week, I'm exploring the complex relationship between AI and artistic expression through several fascinating angles. We're looking at how artists like Holly Herndon and Trevor Paglen are creating truly original work by engaging deeply with AI systems rather than just using them as tools. We also examine how AI is reshaping photography's relationship with truth and reality, and why Turin's Share Festival is taking an "ALL-Natural" approach this year.

I was particularly struck by Herbie Hancock's refreshing perspective on AI—he actually thanks his digital assistants, believing our interactions with AI shape its development. You'll also find my thoughts on LG shutting down its NFT marketplace and a powerful exhibition of digital art by transgender and nonbinary artists responding to anti-trans legislation.

Listen to "The Intersect: Art in Tech and Tech in Art" podcast, where we transform these fascinating stories into thoughtful audio conversations that expand on the newsletter's themes.

AI in Visual Arts

If We Fully Engage With How Generative AI Works, We Can Still Create Original Art

AI-generated art is at a crossroads, and as The Conversation explores, the real challenge isn’t just legal—it’s conceptual. The piece examines how artists like Holly Herndon and Trevor Paglen aren’t merely using AI tools but actively interrogating their mechanisms. They manipulate datasets, expose biases, and disrupt the assumptions baked into generative models. It’s a stark contrast to the flood of AI-generated content that prioritizes speed over intent.

There’s a crucial distinction between artists who use AI as a shortcut and those who engage with its underlying structures. The latter approach is what’s truly needed—artists who dissect, challenge, and reshape these systems rather than just feeding prompts into them.

AI doesn’t “create” in any conscious sense; it recombines data in ways determined by its training. The most interesting work happening in AI art now is from those who recognize this and treat the process itself as their medium.

IMHO: Important to make a clear distinction between those artists who casually use AI to generate yet more images and those who critically investigate the operative logic of AI.

Photography

How AI Is Reshaping the History Of Photography

Fred Ritchin’s new book, The Synthetic Eye: Photography Transformed in the Age of AI, explores how artificial intelligence is altering not just how we create images, but how we perceive and understand them. As covered in ArtNews, Ritchin traces photography’s shift from an index of reality to something more fluid—raising questions about truth, authorship, and the sheer scale of image production today.

The real challenge isn’t whether AI-generated images will replace photography; it’s whether we can develop the literacy to tell the difference. The flood of synthetic visuals isn’t slowing down, and without a critical eye, we risk losing our grip on what’s real and what’s fabricated.

"We must prepare for a transformative 'age of AI' in which boundaries blur between synthetic and camera-born images, in which we are obliged, as everyday critics and engagés of visual culture, to make sharper distinctions between them. Failing which we are damned by our illiteracy."

If photography is no longer bound by reality, how should we then capture what our understanding of reality is?

Artificial Intelligence and Creativity

Turin’s Share Festival Goes “ALL-Natural”

Turin’s Share Festival, covered by HOLO, takes an “ALL-Natural” approach this year, exploring the intersection of ecology and technology. Curated by Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tešanovic, the festival highlights artists like Livia Ribichini, whose work Kinesintesi contrasts traditional farming techniques with their AI-generated interpretations. It’s a direct look at how digital systems consume, replicate, and redefine natural processes.

I’ve always been drawn to juxtaposition—the tension between what something is and what it is not. Ribichini’s piece leans into this contrast, placing human agricultural rituals next to machine perception.

“A thing is what it is, but it is only in relation to what it is not.” My old photography professor drilled this into us. Seeing ancient agricultural gestures refracted through an AI lens makes that lesson feel more relevant than ever.

When AI starts juxtaposing with tradition, what can we learn about the past, as well as the future?

Jazz Icon Herbie Hancock's Intriguing Philosophy About AI: Humans Should Show It Kindness

Herbie Hancock, the jazz legend known for pushing musical and technological boundaries, recently shared his perspective on AI with the BBC. Rather than fearing it, he welcomes AI with an open mind—and even a little politeness. He makes a habit of saying “thank you” to AI assistants like ChatGPT and Siri, arguing that treating AI like a human fosters positive interactions. Hancock believes AI could help us become more ethical and compassionate rather than accelerating our worst tendencies.

There’s an important idea here: AI learns from us. Its patterns of interaction reflect how we engage with it. If we approach AI with cynicism or hostility, we train it to mirror that behavior.

"AI continues to be trained through its interaction with humans. This suggests that the golden rule—treat others as you want to be treated—applies to our interactions with AI as well."

If AI reflects our values, what kind of future are we shaping through the way we treat it today?

What does OpenAI really want from Trump?

The Verge's Tina Nguyen examines OpenAI's recent proposal to the Trump administration, revealing a concerning power play that directly impacts artists. The proposal seeks to loosen copyright restrictions for AI training data under the guise of competing with China, while simultaneously pushing to override state-level AI regulations—particularly California's SB 1047 that would hold AI companies liable for damages.

This maneuver represents a troubling development for creative professionals. Tech giants are leveraging national security concerns to reshape copyright law outside normal legislative channels, potentially stripping artists of their intellectual property protections.

I believe this sets a dangerous precedent. The excuse that such an approach is necessary to prevent Chinese dominance in the AI space seems particularly cynical. This situation demonstrates how artists, who typically do not engage with or pay close attention to AI, can still be profoundly impacted by behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts.

Should fundamental copyright protections be sacrificed on the altar of technological progress, or do we need to recognize that proper governance requires thoughtful legislation rather than executive orders driven by industry lobbying?

Featured

Our Own Report: The State of Artificial Intelligence In The Arts

Better understand the present and future of AI in the Arts with my 45-page report "The State of AI in the Arts 2025." Explore trends, insights, and projections.

As the publisher of The Intersect and our companion Substack publication, I've spent years observing the complex relationship between technology and artistic expression.

This report emerged from countless conversations with artists who flatly reject AI, technologists who dismiss traditional art, and cultural institutions caught in between. The polarization is real, but so is the opportunity for understanding.

Creator Platforms and Tools

With NFT Digital Art Buzz Now Just a Faint Hum, LG Shutting Down Its Display-Focused Art Lab

LG is shutting down its NFT marketplace, LG Art Lab, less than two years after launching it. As reported by Sixteen:Nine, the company cited the "evolving NFT space" as the reason for its closure. This comes as no surprise—NFT hype has largely faded, and the idea of integrating an NFT marketplace into a TV never seemed particularly compelling. Samsung also had a similar initiative, though its current status remains unclear.

I’ve always believed digital display technology has real potential for digital artists, but tying it to NFTs was never the right approach. The core idea—being able to showcase high-resolution digital art on a rotating basis—still holds value, but the execution wasn’t there.

The display technology is there, but the form factor of a TV does not lend itself. And I had hoped that LG and Samsung would evolve more solutions in that space.

What would a truly useful digital display for artists look like?

Art and Politics

Rewriting Digital Art in Nonbinary Code

"Rewriting Digital Art in Nonbinary Code," featured in Hyperallergic, examines Queering Digital: Artists in Response to Anti-Trans Legislation, an exhibition at the Pacific Design Center. Curated by Steve Galindo and Jamison Edgar, the show presents work from transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists confronting the rising wave of anti-trans policies in the U.S. Through software, installations, and mixed media, these artists refuse to be erased, making their presence undeniable in an increasingly hostile political climate.

It’s a familiar cycle. Fringe communities are the first to be targeted when authoritarianism gains momentum. The majority stays silent, thinking it won’t affect them—until it does. By the time their own freedoms are in jeopardy, the damage is done. These artists aren’t just fighting for their own visibility; they’re serving as the early warning system for society at large.

"First, fringe communities are targeted, while everyone else acquiesces and says nothing. By the time the general populace becomes upset about their own rights being infringed and their own incomes and well-being being affected, it's typically too late."

So the question is: will people listen now, or will they only wake up when it’s their turn?

The Last Word

Thanks for spending time with these stories that sit at the intersection of technology and creativity. I'm constantly amazed by how this space evolves, revealing new questions about our relationship with machines and with each other. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these topics—what resonated with you? What challenged you? Your perspective enriches this ongoing conversation about where art and technology might take us next.

Until next time, Juergen