This event will focus on the intersection between machine learning and artistic practice. Recent developments in deep learning have provided artists with new possibilities of using image, sound and text data for creative expression. The speakers will cover recent art projects in the field, discuss the potential of machine learning in art and suggest online resources for getting started yourself.

It is part of a series designed to bring together artists, developers, designers, technologists and industry professionals to discuss the applications of artificial intelligence in the creative industries.

Gene Kogan, Artist, Programmer, Educator at genekogan.com:

"Machine learning for the rest of us"

This talk will present a number of artistic, creative, and humorous works making use of machine learning, as well as a series of in-progress educational materials for "the rest of us" -- the artists, activists, and engaged citizens who want to participate in the active deployment of these experimental new techniques into the world's technology infrastructure. No longer relegated to toy datasets and lab experiments, machine learning has rapidly marched into the public eye over the last 5 years, and is widely regarded by the world's top technology companies as the most vital field of study for their future development. As the field matures and stabilizes, its fruits should be integrated into tools used by engineers, architects, makers, hackers, and anyone else who happens to take interest in it, leading not only to large-scale critical engagement, but feeding back into the research pipeline itself.

Gene Kogan is an artist and a programmer who is interested in generative systems, artificial intelligence, and software for creativity and self-expression. He is a collaborator within numerous open-source software projects, and leads workshops and demonstrations on topics at the intersection of code, art, and technology activism. Gene initiated and contributes to ml4a, a free book about machine learning for artists, activists, and citizen scientists. He regularly publishes video lectures, writings, and tutorials to facilitate a greater public understanding of the topic.

Memo Akten, Artist and PhD student at Goldsmiths University of London:

"A Journey through multiple dimensions and transformations in space and time"

As computers and software become 'smarter', more autonomous and ubiquitous, how does this impact human creativity, and the role of the artist? In this talk, I'll briefly cover some of my own meanderings in this area, particularly within the context of the recent developments in deep learning. This includes explorations in i) real-time, interactive computational systems for artistic, creative expression, ii) intelligent systems for human-machine collaborative creativity, and iii) investigating how we make sense of the world, and project meaning onto noise.

Memo Akten is an artist working with computation as a medium, exploring the collisions between nature, science, technology, culture, ethics, ritual, tradition and religion. Combining critical and conceptual approaches with investigations into form, movement and sound, he creates data dramatizations of natural and anthropogenic processes. Alongside his practice, he is currently working towards a PhD at Goldsmiths University of London in artificial intelligence and expressive human-machine interaction. His work has been shown and performed internationally, featured in books and academic papers; and in 2013 Akten received the Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica for his collaboration with Quayola, ‘Forms’.

The schedule for the evening will be as follows.

6.30pm - 7pm Arrive

7pm - 7.10pm Introduction

7.10pm-7.50pm First talk: Gene Kogan

7.50pm-8.30pm Second talk: Memo Akten

#LDNcreativeAI

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