Ars Electronica 2017 explores AI creativity and the future of human-machine relations

The 2017 Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, running from September 7 to 11, is dedicated entirely to artificial intelligence, with the subtitle 'Das andere Ich/The Other I'. Founded in 1979, the festival gathers about a thousand participants including artists, scientists, technologists, hackers, educators, entrepreneurs, musicians, and activists from around the world. The opening symposium asks how new technologies influence culture and society, featuring philosopher Mark Coeckelbergh, Zen monk and AI expert Zenbo Hidaka, computational design researcher Maria Yablonina, and robot designer Shunji Yamanaka. Subsequent symposia address ethical, anthropological, and spiritual questions, acknowledging that a complete embodiment of AI remains 'Zukunftsmusik' (music of the future). Major artistic events include 'Gallery Spaces: Media Art between Natural and Artificial Intelligence' and 'CyberArts 2017', the exhibition of Prix Ars Electronica videos. The article also references a fictional story by Japanese writer Sakumoto Yōsuke titled 'Il giovane robot' (The Young Robot), about an android named Tezaki Rei designed to blend into society and help people.