Art Thinking on Data and AI

Abstract

Nowadays, there are many IT-developed societies where people’s everyday thoughts, actions, decisions, and expressions are digitally collected into a massive capacity of data whether people realize it or not. Many of us now live in a data-saturated society, especially with the rise of the metaverse, which blurs the boundaries between the digital and material worlds. The reason for us to pay attention to data is that these data reflect our world and the people within. Furthermore, they are analyzed, processed, and interpreted for diverse causes such as infographics, and new product services for our well-being. As we are moving toward the algorithmic age from the age of big data, a deeper understanding of data, algorithmic culture, and technology in the field of art is needed for future designers and artists. Instead of focusing on the technicality of data, this paper discusses how data can be seen artistically and what the layers of data bias mean through my recent exploration of making art with data. Lastly, it suggests how art thinking on data and artificial intelligence (AI) can open new creative possibilities in art education.