A woman looks at a work of art titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, created by artificial intelligence. AFP
A woman looks at a work of art titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, created by artificial intelligence. AFP
A woman looks at a work of art titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, created by artificial intelligence. AFP
A woman looks at a work of art titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, created by artificial intelligence. AFP

Instead of replicating the past, artificial intelligence should be used to create the art of the future


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Last week, the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence converged on the Canadian city of Montreal for one of the biggest gatherings in their field.

On Saturday, the 2018 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) hosted a workshop titled "AI for Social Good". The assembled crowd were not treated to the usual conference staples of robot demonstrations or video presentations showcasing new algorithms that promise to revolutionise healthcare systems.

Instead, they were greeted with a solo performance by the superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, followed by a session on artificial intelligence, ethics and the arts.

The history of artificial intelligence is littered with algorithms that were supposed to mimic the most complex feats of human creativity, from problem-solving to writing poems, composing music and painting portraits.

In 2007, a new version of Glenn Gould's legendary rendition of the Bach's Goldberg Variations was released by Sony Classical. It was not a remastering from original tapes, though. Instead, a piece of software named Zenph was used to analyse the Canadian musician's 1955 performance, then translate it to an electro-acoustic Yamaha piano.

Almost a decade later, researchers at Sony used an application called Flow Machines to dissect the scores of 13,000 popular tracks and then build new melodies. After selecting the music style of The Beatles, the French composer Benoît Carré arranged and produced a piece of music for which he also wrote the lyrics. Titled “Daddy’s Car”, it has been widely credited as the first ever pop song written by artificial intelligence.

And music is not the only creative field in which AI is being used. Last year, academics at Rutgers University in New York and employees at Facebook AI Research debuted a system named Creative Adversarial Networks, which can generate visual art after studying and “learning” from pre-existing works.

Then, last month, Christies in London became the first auction house to sell an AI-generated painting. Bidding for the work, titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, reached $432,500 – nearly 45 times its original estimate.

However, these AI-generated artworks are, at best, pale imitations of the real thing. Art resonates with human beings, because it is a vehicle for artists to express their feelings, beliefs or political ideas. Even if algorithms learn to paint exactly like Picasso, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to create anything with the power or historical weight of Guernica, nor will they be able to capture the beauty and pain of Vincent van Gough's best work.

The human brain – specifically our ability to imagine – is at the heart of the creative process. This is precisely what artificial intelligence lacks so far, and exactly what developers and engineers should be reaching for. The aim should not be for technology to generate new paintings, poems, songs and buildings that emulate those already created by human beings. Instead, the power of technology should be harnessed to offer a truly original and personalised artistic experience.

For me, this idea brings to mind the neurological condition of synaesthesia, in which sensory perceptions cross over and people are, for instance, able to smell letters or hear colours. Far from viewing it as a handicap, many with synaesthesia believe it to be a gift that allows them to experience art and the world around them with a vivid intensity that others can only dream of. AI has the potential to make us all able to touch music and smell words.

Personally speaking, I would prefer this new form of art to any computer-generated Yo-Yo Ma soundalike. After all, nothing can beat the real emotions that a performance by a virtuoso musician can evoke – for now, at least.

Professor Olivier Oullier is the president of Emotiv, a neuroscientist and a DJ

The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Jetour T1 specs

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Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

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The squad traveling to Brazil:

Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.

If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road. 

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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THREE
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Specs%20
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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’

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The biog:

Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

Pet Peeve: Racism 

Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne 

What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms

Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s

Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"

Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model 

Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy

Suggested picnic spots

Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
 
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes 

The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
ALL THE RESULTS

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.

Catch 74kg

Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.

Strawweight (Female)

Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.

Lightweight

Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.

Traits of Chinese zodiac animals

Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent   

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