I hope that, through this general introduction, my reader now possesses a clearer vision for AI—its potential and its limitations. One question lingers, however. What exactly can AI be for artists? As poet, essayist, and philosopher Paul Valéry once stated, “[w]e must expect great innovations to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in our very notion of art” [57]. The work of numerous artists, authors, and activists attests to the positive impacts of co-creating with AI. The purpose of this project is to direct you to those narratives and illuminate a path forward, through a space that up until now may have felt too obscure or overwhelming to approach.
We have undoubtedly already passed the critical point where a future with AI was uncertain. In order to embrace this shift, we must reconcile ourselves to a reality with AI, founded in curiosity and pragmatism and unafraid of the black box it has been concealed within for decades. As with any artistic method or medium, the concepts and form of the work will vary greatly from artist to artist. The ideal posture must simply be observational and participatory, dedicating our critical, artistic vision to this integral shift in societal infrastructure.