Art as a Lens to Understand AI: Stefano Monti's Essay on Artribune

In an essay published on Artribune, Stefano Monti argues that art can help us understand artificial intelligence by examining the historical evolution of artistic production and its relationship with the viewer. Monti traces the shift from figurative art, which had a clear technical and representational function, to avant-garde movements that introduced non-representable elements and required cognitive effort from the audience. He explains that this shift created a divide between industrial cultural production, which is easily consumable, and more demanding artistic research. Monti uses this framework to analyze AI-generated content, such as a love poem by ChatGPT, which may be effective but lacks the depth of human introspection. He emphasizes that AI automates production where value lies in the final output, whereas true artistic engagement involves a process shared between creator and viewer. Monti concludes by advocating for the ability to distinguish between fast-culture and more demanding cultural products, drawing analogies to frozen versus handmade food and summer hits versus complex music. The essay was published on August 13, 2026, on Artribune.