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Microsoft - How AI is changing arts and culture

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How AI is changing arts and culture

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/how-ai-is-changing-arts-and-culture.jpg" width="1280" height="720" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto">If you were to ask people&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">how AI&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">could&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">change their lives,&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">they may immediately think of self-driving cars</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;and</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;chatbots. In a business context, increased efficiencies and advanced data analytics would be among the&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">likely&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">responses.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">AI is also&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">changing</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">the&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">arts, enriching people’s daily experiences</span><span data-contrast="auto">, preserving</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">culture</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;and making&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">art</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">more accessible</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;to those unable to visit a gallery or historic site for themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">In July</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;2019</span><span data-contrast="none">, Microsoft announced</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;a new and fourth pillar to&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">its</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;AI for Good portfolio</span><span data-contrast="none">, the</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">$125 million, five-year commitment to use artificial intelligence to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges. T</span><span data-contrast="none">his new pillar will focus on&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">AI for Cultural Heritage</span><span data-contrast="none">, and&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">use&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">AI</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;to work with non</span><span data-contrast="none">–</span><span data-contrast="none">profits, universities</span><span data-contrast="none">,</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;and governments to help preserve the languages we speak, the places we live</span><span data-contrast="none">,&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">the art</span><span data-contrast="none">i</span><span data-contrast="none">facts we treasure</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;and celebrate the people who have made an impact</span><span data-contrast="none">.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The program will&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">build upon previous&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">efforts including those in New York,&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">with</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/inculture/arts/met-microsoft-mit-ai-open-access-hack/">The&nbsp;</a></span><span data-contrast="none">Metropolitan Museum of Art</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;and MIT</span><span data-contrast="none">;&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">in Paris&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">with</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">the</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/inculture/arts/le-mont-saint-michel-mixed-reality/"><span data-contrast="none">Musée</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;des Plans-Reliefs</span></a><span data-contrast="none">; and in&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/blog/2015/02/23/microsoft-translator-introduces-yucatec-maya-and-quertaro-otomi-for-unescos-international-mother-language-day/"><span data-contrast="none">southwestern Mexico</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, where Microsoft is engaged as part of ongoing efforts to preserve languages.&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">AI</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;is also a creative force able to compose music, write novels and paint pictures.&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">H</span><span data-contrast="auto">ere</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;are&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">seven</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;examples of how AI is enriching our cultural lives.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Virtual visits</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The great buildings and historical sites of the world may attract millions of tourists a year, but&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">many more people have only seen pictures. That is beginning to change.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
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<p><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-at-mwc19/"><span data-contrast="none">Microsoft AI</span></a><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">is being used to&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">help&nbsp;</span><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/transform/heritage-activists-preserve-global-landmarks-ruined-in-war-threatened-by-time/"><span data-contrast="none">preserve records of historic sites</span></a><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">and bring people closer to some of the wonders of the world</span><span data-contrast="auto">. Teams from the French company&nbsp;</span><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/transform/heritage-activists-preserve-global-landmarks-ruined-in-war-threatened-by-time/"><span data-contrast="none">Iconem</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;have used cameras and drones to create 3-D digital models of landmarks from Cambodia to Syria.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">In Paris at the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/today-in-tech/videos/what-mont-saint-michel-looks-like-through-hololens-episode-3/"><span data-contrast="none">Musée</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;des Plans-Reliefs</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, Microsoft partnered with&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">Iconem</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">HoloForge</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">Interactive&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">to create an immersive</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">experience</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">using</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;mixed reality and AI that pays homage to the French cultural icon Mont-Saint-Michel, off the coast of Normandy.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Visitors can&nbsp;</span><a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/today-in-tech/videos/what-mont-saint-michel-looks-like-through-hololens-episode-3/"><span data-contrast="none">interact with the exhibits</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;and discover information and stories about the site.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Open&nbsp;</span></b><b><span data-contrast="auto">a</span></b><b><span data-contrast="auto">ccess</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The Metropolitan Museum of Art launched&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">its</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;Open Access&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">initiative</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;in 2017, making all images and data relating to public-domain artworks in its vast collection available to everyone online.</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">The Met recently collaborated with <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/inculture/arts/met-microsoft-mit-ai-open-access-hack">Microsoft and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a></span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;to&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">help&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">take this initiative to the next level, using artificial intelligence&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">to explore new ways for global audiences to discover, learn and create with one of the world’s foremost art collections</span><span data-contrast="none">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="none">Language Preservation&nbsp;</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">There are more than 7,000 languages in the world, a third of&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">which&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">have fewer than 1,000 people who continue to speak them.&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">In southwestern Mexico, Microsoft is engaged as one of the community partners in efforts to preserve languages spoken in the region, specifically Yucatec Maya and Queretaro Otomi. By using AI, Microsoft has helped to protect endangered languages.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><i><span data-contrast="none">[Subscribe to&nbsp;</span></i><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/#subscribe"><i><span data-contrast="none">Microsoft on the Issues</span></i></a><i><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;for more on the topics that matter most.]</span></i><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Interpreting</span></b><b><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;expressions</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">E</span><span data-contrast="auto">nigmatic e</span><span data-contrast="auto">xpressions like those worn by the&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">“</span><span data-contrast="auto">Mona Lisa</span><span data-contrast="auto">”</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;or</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;seen</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;on the faces of countless statues of Buddha, invite the viewer to&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">speculate on&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">what the subjects was</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;thinking or</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;feeling</span><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But&nbsp;</span><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/apac/features/whats-in-a-face-artificial-intelligence-deciphers-the-emotional-mysteries-of-ancient-buddhist-statues/"><span data-contrast="none">researchers in Japan are revolutionizing the way we think about this phenomenon</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">,</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;using fac</span><span data-contrast="auto">ial</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;recognition software. They used&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">Azure Cognitive Services</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;Face API to analy</span><span data-contrast="auto">z</span><span data-contrast="auto">e 200 statues of Buddha, including the</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">mysterious expressions of the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-museums-art-galleries/kokuhokan"><span data-contrast="none">Ashura Buddha at the&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">Kofukuji</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;Temple in Nara</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Traditionally, Buddhist statues would have shown faces devoid of emotion.&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">But in their creation, the&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">Kofukuji</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;statues’ faces may have been influenced by their sculptors’ moods and may carry traces of detectable emotion, which the project sought to investigate. The aim of the project was “to provide people with a means for reaffirming the beauty of Buddhism,” according to Professor&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">Syun’ichi</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">Sekine</span><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Beyond Microsoft’s efforts, these are just some of the ways AI is already changing the arts</span><span data-contrast="auto">:</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Robot writers</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In 2019</span><span data-contrast="auto">,</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://openai.com/blog/better-language-models/"><span data-contrast="none">OpenAI</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;announced that it had created a language algorithm that could write text&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">that&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">was&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">indistinguishable&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">from&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">that written by a human. The GPT-2 program&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">h</span><span data-contrast="auto">as</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;not been released as a fully trained version, as its makers claim they are concerned about the potential “malicious applications of the technology.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Whether&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">that</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;concern is justified, AI is&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">already&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">writing</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;both&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">news&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">and</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;fiction. In 2014</span><span data-contrast="auto">,</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://slate.com/technology/2014/03/quakebot-los-angeles-times-robot-journalist-writes-article-on-la-earthquake.html"><span data-contrast="none">the Los Angeles Times</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;report</span><span data-contrast="auto">ed</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;on an earthquake that had just hit the city, with an article automatically generated by its&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">Quakebot</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;algorithm.&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">And&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/01/why-i-created-a-robot-to-write-news-stories"><span data-contrast="none">Guardian Australia has run an experiment</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">in&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">publishing an article written by a program called&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">ReporterMate</span><span data-contrast="auto">. Such developments are intended to produce straightforward news items with as little human</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">intervention as possible, leaving editorial staff and reporters free to focus their efforts on more complex or nuanced activities</span><span data-contrast="auto">,</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;such as investigations or opinion pieces.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">A</span><span data-contrast="auto">I</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;has</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;also</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;been credited with&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/10/automated-on-the-road/571345/"><span data-contrast="none">writing its first novel,</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">“</span><span data-contrast="auto">1&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">the Road,</span><span data-contrast="auto">”</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;an account of a road trip written by a computer hooked up to a GPS, microphone and camera.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Painting by numbers</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In October 2018,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.christies.com/features/A-collaboration-between-two-artists-one-human-one-a-machine-9332-1.aspx"><span data-contrast="none">the sale of the painting “Portrait of Edmond de&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="none">Belamy”</span></a><i><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span></i><span data-contrast="auto">for $432,500 surprised the art world. The “artist” was an algorithm used by the Paris-based collective&nbsp;</span><a href="https://obvious-art.com/"><span data-contrast="none">Obvious</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. Members of the collective fed thousands of images into a computer, which then used what it had learned to create an original image.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
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<p><span data-contrast="auto">The sale sparked debates about what constituted art and whether human artists would eventually be replaced by machines. But the people behind Obvious are far from the only ones using AI to create works of art. The HG Contemporary Gallery in New York has hosted an exhibition called “</span><a href="https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/3e2cdfa0-8b8f-44ea-a6ca-d12f123e3b0c/AICAN-HG-Catalogue-web.pdf"><span data-contrast="none">Faceless Portraits Transcending Time,</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">” featuring prints produced by an AI program named AICAN.</span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Composing melodies and lyrics</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">AI has been used in music for decades. In 1956,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lejaren-Hiller"><span data-contrast="none">Lejaren</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;Hiller</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;used a computer to help compose the “</span><span data-contrast="auto">Illiac Suite for String Quartet.”</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;And the</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.musicologyresearch.co.uk/publications/rupertloydell-kingsleymarshall-soundmirrors"><span data-contrast="none">influential producer Brian Eno</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">help&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">pioneer</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;a genre called generative music.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Today, AI is being used to&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/06/artificial-intelligence-and-will-we-be-slaves-to-the-algorithm"><span data-contrast="none">write so-called functional music</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;for commercial clients like the video game industry, with tempo and mood configured to keep up with changes in ongoing gameplay.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Another impact</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;AI is</span><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;having&nbsp;</span><span data-contrast="auto">on music is in the use of algorithms that create playlists on streaming services. Not only are they choosing what millions of subscribers listen to, but&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8333911/artificial-intelligence-music-reshaping-destroying-industry"><span data-contrast="none">they are also beginning to introduce AI-written music</span><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">into those playlists</span><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><i><span data-contrast="none">For more on AI, visit&nbsp;</span></i><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/ai/empowering-innovation"><i><span data-contrast="none">AI Empowering Innovation</span></i></a><i><span data-contrast="none">. And follow @</span></i><a href="https://aka.ms/AA5c3au"><i><span data-contrast="none">MSFTIssues</span></i></a><i><span data-contrast="none">&nbsp;on Twitter.  </span></i><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
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