In this, the first edition of The New Real Magazine, we present a guide to working in Generative AI Arts by practitioners at the forefront of the creative wave in AI today, and discover how our present moment was foretold by artists who had already been working with, and on, AI for a decade.

Edition One
Generative AI Arts: A Synthetic Future Foretold

Magazine Masthead

NEWREAL MAGAZINE | EDITION ONE | 2023

Image: The Zizi Show © Jake Elwes

Director’s Introduction:

Drew Hemment, founder of The New Real, introduces the themes of the Magazine, and what you will find in Edition One.

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Generative AI Arts: A Synthetic Future Foretold – Editorial by Drew Hemment
Generative AI Arts: A Synthetic Future Foretold – Editorial by Drew Hemment

Long before the explosion of Generative AI in 2022 and 2023, a community of artists were changing the way we think of AI, combining prescient insight, powerful activism and inventive exploration.

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Contents

  • Director’s Introduction
    The vision behind the magazine

  • Feature: Navigating Generative AI, A Roadmap
    Strategies for the arts community to navigate Generative AI

  • Art
    Art projects from 2019 to 2021, before the Generative AI boom

  • Reflections
    Insights, investigations and ideas from friends of The New Real

  • Spotlights
    Summaries of recent publications, events and reports

  • Conversations
    Discussions with our artists and The New Real community

  • Interjections
    Explainers and hot topics, to guide our intrepid explorations

  • Editor’s endnotes
    Closing thoughts

Feature: Navigating Generative AI, A Roadmap:

Actionable insights, strategies and recommendations for the arts ecosystem to navigate our era of Generative AI

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Navigating Generative AI in Turbulent Technological Seas
Navigating Generative AI in Turbulent Technological Seas

An Introduction to this Edition’s Feature Section, by The New Real’s Editor, Gemma Milne.

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Magazine
A manifesto for Intelligent Experiences 
A manifesto for Intelligent Experiences 

Let's look beyond the impressive capabilities of current AI tools, to envision intelligent experiences that can surprise and delight us, are culturally enriching, and are inclusive, fair and environmentally sound.

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Artist’s Roundtable - The artists’ take on Generative AI
Artist’s Roundtable - The artists’ take on Generative AI

The New Real’s Caroline Sinders convened artists working with Generative AI – Lex Fefegha, Eryk Salvaggio and Amelia Winger-Bearskin – to explore future landscapes for Generative AI Arts, and what co-creation between AI and artists can look like.

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How to create inspiring cultural experiences fuelled by AI: with Irini Papadimitriou
How to create inspiring cultural experiences fuelled by AI: with Irini Papadimitriou

Creative Director at FutureEverything and renowned curator of AI arts, Irini Papadimitriou, looks at what it takes to create significant art and inspiring cultural experiences fuelled by AI

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What artists want from AI Tools: with Eoghan O’Keeffe
What artists want from AI Tools: with Eoghan O’Keeffe

Artist and toolmaker, Eoghan O’Keeffe, shares with us the key features and capabilities artists are looking for in AI tools as these technologies move forward.

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Strategies for ethical systems and organisations, and for empowering AI artists: with Eva Jäger
Strategies for ethical systems and organisations, and for empowering AI artists: with Eva Jäger

Curator of Arts Technologies at Serpentine, Eva Jäger, looks at ethical and relational business models, and emerging practices of artists.

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Art:

One artwork, one artist residency, one curatorial statement from the period immediately before the Generative AI boom, from 2019 to 2021

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Preternatural curatorial statement (2019)
Preternatural curatorial statement (2019)

This curatorial statement accompanied ‘Preternatural’, an exhibition of works by Jake Elwes curated by Drew Hemment and presented by The New Real during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019.

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The Zizi Show by Jake Elwes (2020)
The Zizi Show by Jake Elwes (2020)

The Zizi Show, by Jake Elwes, is an interactive artwork exploring the intersection of AI and drag. The work revolves around captivating, beguiling imagery of AI-generated drag avatars.

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AI is Human After All by Anna Ridler and Caroline Sinders (2019-2021)
AI is Human After All by Anna Ridler and Caroline Sinders (2019-2021)

AI is Human After All was an artist residency by Anna Ridler and Caroline Sinders with The New Real on the hidden human labour involved in creating and deploying AI, and on facing the climate crisis.

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Reflections:

Insights, investigations and ideas from friends of The New Real

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Expansive Images: Understanding Photography and Generative Imagery
Expansive Images: Understanding Photography and Generative Imagery

In the Generative AI era, the premise of photography itself has been exponentially expanded, altered and reconfigured, explains the V&A’s Catherine Troiano.

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Artificial Intelligence and Humanity’s Future: A Ghost Story
Artificial Intelligence and Humanity’s Future: A Ghost Story

We live in a world populated by digital ghosts of human injustice and cruelty, reanimated in AI software. But is it possible to tell a different, more hopeful story? By Shannon Vallor.

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AI, Ethics, and the Role of the Artist
AI, Ethics, and the Role of the Artist

Using AI as an artistic medium comes with moral implications and responsibilities which can be difficult to anticipate. How can ethics help us unpick these? By SJ Bennett.

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Data Politics: Drag, Deepfakes and the Taming of Technology
Data Politics: Drag, Deepfakes and the Taming of Technology

Human-made datasets carry with them the prejudices and assumptions of their creators. Can art subvert and expose the process? By Morgan Currie and Benedetta Catanzariti.

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Human After All: How Cinema Uses AI to Extend Moral and Ethical Dilemmas
Human After All: How Cinema Uses AI to Extend Moral and Ethical Dilemmas

The cinematic staple of giving machines human characteristics reveals a lot about our complex relationship with AI and morality. By Chris Speed.

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Spotlights:

Summaries of recent publications, events and reports

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Illuminating the New Real: Art and critical AI literacies
Illuminating the New Real: Art and critical AI literacies

The landscape of artistic uses of AI before the explosion of Generative AI in 2022 and 2023. By Drew Hemment, Martin Zeilinger, Matjaz Vidmar, Holly Warner.

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AI in the Public Eye: Building Public AI Literacy through Critical AI Art
AI in the Public Eye: Building Public AI Literacy through Critical AI Art

Strategies developed within the critical art community can help to enrich the public conversation on AI. By Drew Hemment, Morgan Currie, SJ Bennett, Jake Elwes, Anna Ridler, Caroline Sinders, Mat Vidmar, Robin Hill, Holly Warner.

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Public XAI, Creative AI for Good, and other emerging themes in AI & Arts
Public XAI, Creative AI for Good, and other emerging themes in AI & Arts

A short summary of our research interests and promising directions for development in The New Real.

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Conversations:

Discussions with our artists and The New Real community

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Video: The Politics of AI and Drag
Video: The Politics of AI and Drag

New Real artist Jake Elwes in conversation with Me the Drag Artist, Morgan Currie and Drew Hemment. Chaired by Briana Pegado.

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Video: AI and Art, the Future is Now
Video: AI and Art, the Future is Now

New Real artists Anna Ridler and Caroline Sinders in conversation with Roy Luxford and Drew Hemment. Chaired by Briana Pegado.

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Interjections:

Explainers and hot topics, to guide us in our intrepid explorations

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How Deepfakes Are Impacting Society  
How Deepfakes Are Impacting Society  

Fake online video and audio content has become a powerful tool for spreading political misinformation and harming personal reputations. By Morgan Currie.

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AI Myths Debunked: Unpacking Six Common Misconceptions
AI Myths Debunked: Unpacking Six Common Misconceptions

Media coverage of AI has contributed to misinformation about what it can do now and what it might achieve in the future. It’s time to unpick the hype. By Vassilis Galanos, SJ Bennett, Ruth Aylett and Drew Hemment.

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Editor’s End Note:

Some thoughts in closing, from our magazine Editor, Gemma Milne & The New Real Deputy Director, Matjaz Vidmar.

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Visiting with an AI Oracle or Stepping through a Looking Glass?
Visiting with an AI Oracle or Stepping through a Looking Glass?

The advances in Generative AI systems have crossed an uncanny valley. They are seemingly able to conjure up a visual representation of any imaginary tableau as well as hold entirely original, unscripted conversations and perform useful editing tasks.

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