The Intersect: Art in Tech and Tech in Art - Meaning Over Mechanics: The Shift in Design

Greetings from Juergen

Hi everyone,

This week, I’ve curated a selection of stories that explore the evolving relationship between art and technology. We're looking at how AI is reshaping the creative landscape, with Elliot Vredenburg's insights on design shifting from execution to meaning. Artists like David Salle are finding innovative ways to integrate AI into their creative process, not as a replacement, but as a tool for growth and reflection.

We also consider the broader implications of technology in fields like architecture and design. From Microsoft’s evolving design philosophy to Carlo Ratti's bold stance on climate adaptation, the conversation shifts from creation to curation and adaptation. Plus, there's the fascinating tale of scientists modifying human vision to perceive a new color. Intrigued? Let’s explore these intersections together.

Tune into "The Intersect: Art in Tech and Tech in Art" podcast for an audio exploration of this week's captivating topics—subscribe for more insights!

Artificial Intelligence and Creativity

Why Taste Matters Now More Than Ever

Elliot Vredenburg’s recent piece for Fast Company hits a nerve I’ve been feeling for a while: AI isn’t killing design—it’s changing its center of gravity. When the machine handles execution, the real value shifts to taste, judgment, and meaning. As production becomes frictionless, it's the friction of thought that stands out.

What resonates with me most is the idea that design is moving from making to meaning—which frankly, is overdue. I’ve spent too many nights refining pixel-perfect details that no one will ever notice. Now I’m more interested in what the work does, who it speaks to, and why it matters. Meaning is the new craft.

“When production is automated, the designer’s role becomes less about making and more about meaning.”

If creativity becomes a prompt, how do we teach vision? Or even better—can it be taught at all?

‘We Tried to Train It Like It Was a Kid in Art School’: Artist David Salle on Using an AI Model to Enhance His Painting Practice

New York painter David Salle is using AI not as a gimmick but as a legitimate part of his creative process, as reported by The Art Newspaper. With engineer Grant Davis, Salle trained a custom version of Stable Diffusion to generate backgrounds in the style of his earlier work—images that he prints on linen and then paints over. The results, now showing in London, are unmistakably his: vivid, layered, and full of visual tension.

What I find striking is how Salle doesn't just use AI to imitate his style—he uses it to reflect on it. That feedback loop allows him to evolve as a painter. It’s not automation; it’s conversation. He’s clearly not outsourcing his creativity—he’s challenging it to grow.

“You have to imagine this is something that doesn't actually know anything... Why even bother to teach it something? It's a machine. However, once trained, it's useful.”

What happens when a machine helps you rediscover your own hand?

Design

Microsoft’s Design Chief on Human Creation in the AI Era

Microsoft’s Jon Friedman, interviewed by Tom Warren at The Verge, talks about how AI is reshaping the role of designers—less pixel-pushing, more curating and directing. Microsoft’s design org, long hidden in the shadow of Apple’s polish, is now navigating what it means to build for and with AI. Apparently, they even used generative AI to make a Surface ad—and nobody noticed.

As a lifelong Mac user, if I wanted to be mean, I’d say, “Wait, Microsoft has a design team?” But to be fair, Friedman’s take reflects what many of us are feeling: the shift from creator to editor. The anxiety, the excitement, the awkwardness of using tools that blur authorship. I’ve been there—staring at a blank canvas, then watching an AI fill it in faster than I can decide which brush to use.

"Suddenly the design job is how do you edit… Even my job over the past 6–8 months has become an editor-in-chief job of the product, not just the design leader."

Is design leadership now about taste rather than craft—and are we okay with that?

Architecture

Venice Architecture Biennale’s Carlo Ratti: ‘People Talk About Mitigating Climate Change Harm but It’s Too Late’

Italian architect Carlo Ratti, curator of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, isn’t pulling punches. In an interview with the Financial Times, he shrugs off climate mitigation as yesterday’s conversation. Instead, he centers the exhibition on adaptation—how architecture can respond to environmental extremes we can no longer avoid. From flood barriers in Venice to Lagos' market economy, the show draws from tech, biology, and what Ratti calls “collective intelligence.”

I get the urgency. But here’s my hesitation: architecture is still construction—and construction is a carbon monster. I’ve seen estimates that it accounts for up to 30% of global emissions. So when we say architecture is the solution, I wonder if that isn’t like asking a fire to put itself out with more fire. What, exactly, does a “new level of thinking” look like when the tools we have are part of the problem?

“Usually when people talk about climate change, they talk about mitigating harm in travel, industry, construction,” Ratti says. “But now it’s too late for that... As things become more extreme, we need a new approach, a new level of thinking.”

Is it possible to build our way out of a crisis caused, in part, by building?

Sculpture

BIG’s Interactive Water Installation Reveals Power of Roca Connect at Milan Design Week 2025

At Milan Design Week 2025, the architecture firm BIG revealed an interactive installation for Roca, featured in designboom. This piece showcases “Roca Connect,” a smart water management platform. The installation is a closed-loop fountain that visualizes water’s continuous cycle and highlights how cloud-based systems can track usage and optimize conservation. The tech is sleek, but what caught my attention was the art—the way data and design merge into something viewers can feel, not just use.

It’s hard to ignore that this is also product promotion. But part of me appreciates that—it echoes Renaissance-era patronage, when merchants commissioned artists not just for beauty, but for visibility. I just hope the artist here wasn’t treated as an accessory. If BIG was compensated to collaborate meaningfully, then this is more than branding—it’s a platform for both water awareness and artistic voice.

It’s advertising, yes—but if the artist is paid, and the message is clear, does that make it advocacy?

Where’s the line between collaboration and co-option when tech hires artists to tell their story?

Art & Science

Ephemeral Tech: A.A. Murakami on Using Robotics and Physics to Create Nature in Installations

The interview with A.A. Murakami in designboom explores their latest installation work at Milan Design Week 2025, where they use robotics and fluid dynamics to mimic natural processes. They call it “ephemeral tech,” which is an odd but fascinating phrase—technology that vanishes or transforms, mirroring the fleeting nature of the natural world they’re trying to evoke.

What caught my attention most was the way they describe their work as “invoking nature.” That’s a very different framing from “simulating” or “representing.” It feels more poetic, less literal. Maybe this is a translation artifact, or maybe it reflects a broader, more imaginative way of speaking about art and tech in other cultures—one that leaves room for subtlety and mystery.

“We’re creating environments that feel natural, but they are entirely artificial—bubbles, fog, light. It’s about the feeling of nature, not copying it.”

Is “ephemeral” just a poetic flourish—or are we finally admitting that even our tech is part of the cycle of decay and renewal?

Scientists Modified the Eyes of 5 Humans to See an ‘Unprecedented’ New Color

Scientists at UC Berkeley, as reported by LiveScience and Science Advances, managed to temporarily alter human vision by stimulating specific green-sensitive cones in the eye—leading five participants to perceive a totally unfamiliar color: “olo.” This color doesn’t exist within the natural limits of human sight. The method involved lasers, high-speed eye-tracking, and a rig they call “Oz.” It’s a fascinating proof of concept, especially for studying retinal disorders and possibly helping color-blind individuals.

That said, I’m not holding my breath for a new color palette in Photoshop labeled “olo-compatible.” The setup is wildly impractical for anything outside a lab—million-dollar lasers, motionless staring, and only a tiny sliver of peripheral vision.

I get the scientific value, and sure, the medical implications are worth exploring—but let’s be real: no one’s painting with “olo” anytime soon. Unless you like staring at a laser dot without blinking for hours.

Would you even want to see colors no one else can see?

The Last Word

Thanks for journeying through these stories with me. Your curiosity and engagement are what make this exploration worthwhile. If any of these topics sparked a thought or a question, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s continue this dialogue and discover the intriguing intersections of art and technology together.

Warm regards, Juergen