Week 3 - Robotics and Art

    Before this week's lecture, when I heard the word "Robotics," I instantly thought of my high school robotics class and how they spent the whole year creating a machine or robot that would accomplish a task that their teacher had given them earlier in the year. However, this lecture expanded on my view of what constitutes robotics. According to the professor, "Robotics is in everything we do related to manufacturing." 

    In the past, robotics was viewed in a negative light. Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher, wrote a book titled "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," where he discussed the intersection between technology and art. According to the lecture, this book is still referenced "by anyone interested to see how mass production system influence culture art and the way we work in general." In this book, Benjamin discusses how mechanical reproduction puts an end to authenticity and uniqueness, and he believes that a "withering aura is inevitable." He then further integrated the role of photography and how it further degrades authenticity because people can replicate original work easily. For example, I can buy a print of the Mona Lisa on art.com for only $25, and I can have this priceless piece hanging in my room because someone took a picture of the original and made it a print. This is crazy.

    However, with the incorporation of AI in robotics, I believe that Benagim Franklin might be wrong in his belief that mechanical reproduction ends authenticity and uniqueness. According to AI Business, Artificial intelligence is "where systems can emulate the human mind to learn, solve problems and make decisions on the fly, without needing the instructions specifically programmed." 

https://aibusiness.com/verticals/robotics-and-artificial-intelligence-the-role-of-ai-in-robots

    Micheal Osborne, Research Associate at Goldsmiths University, believes that incorporating AI will allow robots to "constantly learn new representation of data, modify themselves according to it and exhibit creative behavior." When AI is incorporated into robots, they will be able to act and think more like humans allowing them to create and think authentically. 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/10/can-robots-be-creative. 

Works Cited


Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1936.


“Can Robots Truly Be Creative and Use Their Imagination?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Oct. 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/10/can-robots-be-creative. 

Goldsmith, Andrea. “Robotics: Safe, Resilient, Scalable, and in Service of Humanity.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 2021, https://engineering.princeton.edu/news/equad-magazine/robotics. 

Martin, Alan. “Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: The Role of AI in Robots.” AI Business, 1 Nov. 2022, https://aibusiness.com/verticals/robotics-and-artificial-intelligence-the-role-of-ai-in-robots. 

“''Mona Lisa', c16th Century, (1911)' Giclee Print - Unknown.” Art.com, https://www.art.com/products/p56000224975-sa-i11193207/unknown-mona-lisa-c16th-century-1911.htm. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic / robotic art” Lecture. CoLE DESMA 9. 

April 17. 2023. Web. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics part 2” Lecture. CoLE DESMA 9. April 17. 2023. Web. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics Intro” Lecture. CoLE DESMA 9. March 26. 2012. Web.

Comments

  1. dasha_sokolovaDESMA9April 19, 2023 at 2:59 PM

    Hi Emma! It was really interesting to read about your perspective on how AI can actually be authentic and unique in the ways of creative thinking. Our technology is becoming so advanced it is mirroring the creativity of humans. I also related to your new understanding of robotics. I also initially associated robotics with the typical image of a robot, but now my understanding has also expanded which is awesome!

    ReplyDelete

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