AI: Revolutionary or Gimmick?
How is art created? A painter at a canvas, a photographer in the darkroom, a sculptor in the studio… But what if an artist is generating visuals using data and artificial intelligence?
This question is being debated today by some of the world’s most prestigious museums, critics, and auction houses. For some, AI represents a new turning point in art history; for others, it remains a field whose boundaries and responsibilities have yet to be clearly defined.
Refik Anadol stands at the center of this conversation as one of the pioneering figures in AI art. Featured on 60 Minutes in the segment “AI Art: Revolutionary or Gimmick?”, Anadol describes data as a pigment and algorithms as a “thinking brush.” In his practice, data is not merely a technical tool, but a fluid and evolving material with its own aesthetic potential. From photographs of the Earth to NASA archives and large-scale nature datasets, his work draws on vast sources of information.
Anadol’s production process is built on collaboration between human and machine. Artificial intelligence learns from extensive datasets, while the artist directs the system — selecting, curating, and making critical decisions. The resulting images belong neither entirely to the machine nor solely to the human.
In 2022, Unsupervised, exhibited at MoMA New York, was a monumental installation generated by an AI system trained on the metadata of the museum’s 200-year collection. Filling the museum’s lobby, the work transformed the collection’s digital memory into a continuously evolving visual flow. The piece held visitors’ attention for an unusually long time. Yet AI art is not without controversy. While some critics see it as a new language of expression, others raise questions around copyright, data sourcing, and ethical boundaries. Anadol’s position is clear: AI is not a threat, but a tool — provided it is grounded in ethical data practices and transparency.
Watch Refik Anadol’s 60 Minutes interview:
https://youtu.be/9LPV-hb1CKU?si=w7xyu983ZPOIi5s6
