Prix Ars Electronica 2019 Adds AI & Life Art Category

The Prix Ars Electronica, the world's oldest media art competition, has introduced a new category for 2019: Artificial Intelligence & Life Art. This addition reflects the growing societal focus on AI and its intersection with art, technology, and society. The category combines AI with life sciences such as biotechnology, genetic technology, and synthetic biology applied to art. Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of Ars Electronica, stated that artists working in this field are pioneers. Emiko Ogawa, director of the prize, emphasized the interest in works exploring the intersection of robotics and prosthetics, environmental and ecological issues, and the cultural and social relevance of AI, including its ethical and philosophical dimensions. The other categories for 2019 are Computer Animation, Digital Musics & Sound Art, and u19 – Create Your World for young creators. Winners receive the Golden Nica and up to €10,000 per category, and may be featured at the Ars Electronica festival from September 5–9, 2019. Submissions are open until March 1, 2019. The article also mentions recent Italian initiatives: Re:humanism by Alan Advantage (IT firm with offices in Rome and Boston) and the first edition of periferiA Intelligente, launched in June 2018 by the Directorate General for Contemporary Art and Architecture and Urban Peripheries of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, aimed at urban regeneration through creative technology use.