AI Collaboration in Art and Music Explores Humanist Values Amid Technological Change

Holly Herndon, an American musician based in Berlin, released the album Proto in 2019 through collaboration with an artificial intelligence named Spawn. Developed with Mat Dryhurst, this AI was trained using Herndon's voice samples and other vocalists, incorporating elements from her Tennessee gospel background. Herndon has previously worked with artist Trevor Paglen and presented her creations in art institutions. Other examples include Actress and his digital collaborator Young Paint, whose performances blur human and machine contributions. An exhibition at San Francisco's de Young Museum last year featured Martine Syms' Mythiccbeing (2018), a digital avatar exploring Blackness, queerness, and gender, alongside Stephanie Dinkins' Conversations with Bina48 (2018–), where a social robot learns about race and gender through dialogue. Generative art practices involve artists like Arca collaborating with Philippe Parreno on algorithmic music and Ian Cheng using AI to create evolving digital lifeforms. These projects aim to instill humanist values into artificial intelligence, contrasting with broader contemporary culture that often revisits past aesthetics. The integration of AI in creative fields may lead to unpredictable artistic outcomes, potentially reshaping art beyond current human understanding.