AI-Composed ‘Painting’ to Go on Auction
A visual work composed by AI (Artificial Intelligence) will soon go on auction through Christie’s, a prestigious auction house originally based in the UK. The piece is titled ‘Edmond de Belamy.’
The specific AI used is the work of a French art collective who call themselves Obvious. It is part of a series of works designed by the collective, as part of an attempt to explore the relationship between AI and what we perceive of as art.
It is difficult to gauge the attitudes of the art community in response to these experiments. Christie’s, as well as multiple news outlets reporting on the anticipated auction have failed to refer to the work as a bona fide painting. Instead, ‘art’ and ‘painting’ have been placed in quotation marks when referring to ‘Edmond de Belamy.’
Clearly, the work is accomplishing its goal of making the fine art community as well as the general public question their conceptions of what can be defined as art, and why and when we allow that word to be applied to any given work.
Amazon Plans to Open More Cashier-Free Stores
Tech giant Amazon is reportedly planning to open more stores utilizing their pioneering technology that allows normal operation without the use of cashiers or check-out lines.
This technology has already been implemented in multiple retail stores around the country, including locations in Amazon’s native Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago.
Cameras are used to detect when a customer has removed an item from a shelf. Linked computers tabulate each customer’s accumulated items and charges them based on the preferred payment information already stored in their specific Amazon account.
This model has proved effective thus far, although it is still seen by many as a novelty. It saves customers time and also presents a potential solution to shoplifting.
It is still unclear whether Amazon will implement the system in Whole Foods stores, a grocery store brand the company purchased last year. Such a change could represent major job loss for individual stores.
