Co-taught by an artist and a media theorist, this course has two objectives: 1) to introduce students to key theories and debates around AI in contemporary art, and 2) to challenge students to make thoughtful, critical, and rigorous artworks of their own. Class meetings will be divided between seminar-style discussions, hands-on art practice sessions, workshops with artists, and critique sessions. Students will learn about artists who use machine learning and related algorithmic processes to create their work. The latter will be situated within a broader history of technical and aesthetic developments, including cybernetics, generative art, and aleatoric processes. The course positions AI art as a complex subject that demands equal consideration of technological, artistic, social, and philosophical concerns. It situates these elements within contemporary cultural realities and addresses critical aspects of working with AI, with a particular focus on ethical and political dimensions. Please note: Enrollment capacity is limited, and instructor permission is required. Students interested in taking the course must apply here:https://forms.gle/jshEkscg32xJ62oe6
5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Co-taught by an artist and a media theorist, this course has two objectives: 1) to introduce students to key theories and debates around AI in contemporary art, and 2) to challenge students to make thoughtful, critical, and rigorous artworks of their own. Class meetings will be divided between seminar-style discussions, hands-on art practice sessions, workshops with artists, and critique sessions. Students will learn about artists who use machine learning and related algorithmic processes to create their work. The latter will be situated within a broader history of technical and aesthetic developments, including cybernetics, generative art, and aleatoric processes. The course positions AI art as a complex subject that demands equal consideration of technological, artistic, social, and philosophical concerns. It situates these elements within contemporary cultural realities and addresses critical aspects of working with AI, with a particular focus on ethical and political dimensions. Please note: Enrollment capacity is limited, and instructor permission is required. Students interested in taking the course must apply here:https://forms.gle/jshEkscg32xJ62oe6
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.