Ultravioletto's Multidisciplinary Studio Critiques AI Myths Through Art and Technology

Ultravioletto, a multidisciplinary studio founded ten years ago, critically examines artificial intelligence and technology through art, rejecting conventional labels. The studio operates as a contemporary workshop where artists, programmers, designers, and researchers collaborate, blending disciplines like music, design, and cyberpunk. Projects include Mycelium – Natural Intelligence, a live audiovisual performance combining generative AI with natural intelligence, presented at Videocittà in Rome. Another work, Abstract Urbanism, uses genetic algorithms to generate unpredictable urban maps. The studio emphasizes deep understanding of AI tools, often training its own models and using open-source software to maintain control. Ultravioletto critiques the uncritical use of AI, comparing it to a "mad cow" scenario where systems feed on their own data, leading to a hallucinatory infosphere. They explore urban spaces as narrative platforms, as seen in Urban Oracle, which creates sentient graffiti in Rome's periphery, and Neural Mirror, an AI installation that reflects real-time data collection on identity. Future projects involve computational photogrammetry and real-time media manipulation, with plans to scan their city for live architectural remixes. The studio's approach prioritizes ethical and aesthetic tensions over mere technological application.