We have all been exposed to the issues AI poses in the wake of its innovation. Just last week, at the beginning of 2024, some very troubling pieces of information were leaked regarding AI being trained using "stolen" assets of thousands of artists.
In other news, irresponsible users have even begun using AI's capabilities to unnecessarily edit artworks by famous artists like Keith Haring and Edward Hopper.
Indeed, artificial intelligence has been a widely contested issue these past few months, but that is something Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is tackling head-on with his new public art exhibition dubbed "Ai vs AI."
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: Chinese artist Ai Weiwei poses for a photograph after a press conference at the Royal Academy of Arts on September 11, 2015 in London, England.
Ai Weiwei Has Some Deep Questions to Ask AI
In his new project, commissioned by the Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts, Weiwei will be putting AI to the ringer with some conceptually tough inquiries.
Starting from Jan. 11 until March 31, the artist will pop up on public screens across the world, including in countries like Accra, Nairobi, Abidjan, Berlin, London, Seoul, Milan, and Lagos at 8:24 PM in the respective localities' timezones.
Within these 81 days, the same amount of time that the artist spent imprisoned in China, Weiwei will be asking a series of questions addressed towards AI, including thought-provoking ones like: "Who do false ideals serve?" or "Can education be harmful?"
The answers generated by the AI, along with Weiwei's responses, will then be publicized on CIRCA's social media pages and website.
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What 'Ai vs AI' Symbolizes
In a statement to Ocula, Weiwei explained that his new project "is not about freedom of speech," but rather posits that it is about "freedom of questions." For the Chinese artist, this right to inquire is something "everybody" possesses.
The project itself derives its messaging from a long historical Chinese poem called "The Heavenly Questions" which contains over 172 questions addressed to the gods and was originally written by Qu Yuan around 300 BC on the walls of a temple.
Weiwei's exhibition extends its oriental influences through an animation of a dragon that will accompany the daily queries, which specifically symbolizes the unstoppable torrent of change and innovation that requires a great deal of courage, as well as caution.
"If humans will ever be liberated, it will be because we ask the right questions, not provide the right answers," said Weiwei.
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