Welcome back to the Intersect, the show where we explore how art and technology are intertwined. You know, for those tuning in for the first time, we base each episode on Jurgen Birkastel's really cool newsletter, also called the Intersect. He always has the most fascinating articles of projects in there.

And Jurgen has such a diverse background, right? Fine arts, music, photography, and technology.

Oh, totally.

Back in the 90s, he was doing special effects photography. Then he founded Polymash, a podcast production agency, and now he's developing AI tools. Can you believe that?

Wild, right? I think it's his eclectic background that makes his curation so interesting.

Definitely. So this time we're looking at. Well, you can find the issue number on the website, but the main theme is kind of a journey from the ethics of early photography to, like, how AI could change art forever.

Sounds intense.

It is. So, speaking of ethics, we have to start with Shalini Amerasing Ganendra's article. It's called Revisiting Early Photography Ethics, Legal Constructs, and the Seligman's Legacy. This piece is all about the tricky issues around anthropological photography, especially when it comes to indigenous peoples.

It's easy to forget, but back then, photography was used to, like, study and categorize different cultures, sometimes without even getting consent from the people being photographed.

Yeah. And Ganundra brings up this powerful example from Australia. Indigenous beliefs there say, you should destroy photos of people who have passed away. This creates a huge problem for music museums. They're trying to preserve history, but they also want to respect these beliefs.

You know, it's a tough situation, and it's something a lot of cultures are dealing with. The legacy of colonial photography and how their ancestors were often photographed without consent. It's a good reminder to, like, think about the power dynamics behind historical images.

Absolutely. Images are never neutral. Right. They always have a perspective, especially when it comes to marginalized communities. So moving on from the past, we have Rocco Venezia's nocturnal Twins project. It was featured on Froome.

I love this one. It imagines a future where the moon is full of people.

It is. It's kind of like what Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are trying to do.

Right.

But the cool thing is Venezia uses this idea to play with, like, the role of photography in a post truth world.

Makes you think, can we trust anything we see anymore?

Totally. And his project blurs the lines between what's real and what's made up. Kind of like how we're dealing with truth and authenticity these days.

It definitely makes you question Your own perception.

Exactly. And speaking of blurred lines, let's get into AI's influence on the art world. Oh, I know, right? This was a big topic in this issue.

The Art News article. The Internet was the beginning of a new folk artist. Artificial intelligence may be its end was pretty intense, wasn't it?

It basically compares AI's impact today to what the Industrial Revolution did to folk artists back then. And, you know, 65% of young people call themselves creators now. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are like the new art galleries. So is AI just the next step, or will it make human art less valuable?

That's the big question, isn't it? I mean, on the one hand, AI can make art more accessible, but what if algorithms start deciding what's good and what's not true?

But hey, let's not get too serious. Jurgen also included zinger in this Zinger.

Right? The AI that roasts you based on your photo.

Exactly.

I can see that going viral.

Definitely. It reminds us that AI can be fun, too. We don't have to be all doom and gloom about it.

True, true. Now back to the serious stuff. There's an article in the art newspaper about a Swiss auction house using AI to check if artworks are real.

Yeah, that one stirred things up. Some people think a machine can't understand the nuances of art. Others think AI could get rid of fakes and make the art market more trustworthy.

Fabio Seidler from the auction house believes that using AI actually makes them more credible. What do you think?

It does make you wonder, like, what happens to human expertise when algorithms are making the calls.

That's a good point.

Yeah.

It's interesting because the visualist also has an article, the Living Painting and Other Technologies, 1970, 2020. It talks about, you know, is painting dead?

That old chestnut, Right.

But instead of saying painting is over, they argue that it's always been evolving.

Yeah, like painting itself is a technology, in a way, isn't it? Each brushstroke is like an algorithm.

That's a cool way to think about it.

Oh, and Jurgen also mentions the Visions of Nature exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London. They're using Microsoft's Hollands 2 to show visitors what future ecosystems might be like.

Whoa. You mean like augmented reality?

Exactly. Imagine standing in a museum and seeing digital creatures all around you.

That would be amazing.

And if you're interested in learning more about this stuff, Jurgen points to the visualization graduate programs at Texas A and M. They teach you about augmented reality, game design, data visualization, all that Cool stuff.

It's awesome to see universities combining art and technology like that.

It is. It's proof that you need both creativity and technical skills to succeed these days. Speaking of the future, Creative Boom has an article about design trends for 2025. It's kind of a paradox.

How so?

Well, they say that AI is going to be even more important in design, but at the same time, there's this craving for handmade human experiences.

Almost like a backlash against all the tech.

Yeah. Kaiser Barnes from Red Antler predicts a comeback for human centered design. As machines do more, the things that make us human, like creativity and empathy, become even more important.

I see what you mean. It's like my photography professor used to say, things only exist because of their opposites. If everything is AI generated perfection, people will start looking for the beauty and imperfection.

Right. And last but not least, we have Steve Benford's article about artists working with roboticists.

This was cool.

It is. Benford says artists are using their skills to challenge how we think about robots. They bring improvisation and experimentation into the lab, which can lead to some really innovative stuff.

I love the examples he gave, like Bronchomatic, which is a mechanical bowl, and Cat Royale, where you play a game with robot cats.

Those are great examples. It shows that combining art and robotics can lead to some really unexpected breakthroughs.

It really does. Well, that's about it for this issue of the Intersect. It's been a wild ride from early photography to AI and everything in between. It has, but, you know, the conversation doesn't end here. We want you to check out the full newsletter on the Intersect art. You can find all the articles and projects there. And of course, subscribe to Juergens newsletter to stay in the loop.

Don't forget to share your thoughts, too. You can find us on social media or leave a comment on the website. We'd love to hear what stood out.

To you, because the best conversations happen when we all share our perspectives.