Refik Anadol Sees Artistic Possibilities in Data

To Refik Anadol, data is a creative force. "For as long as I can remember, I have imagined data as more than just information--I have seen it as a living, breathing material, a pigment with infinite possibilities," the Turkish-American artist said on Monday during his acceptance speech at the TIME100 AI Impact Awards in Dubai. Anadol was one of four leaders shaping the future of AI to be recognized at TIME's fourth-annual Impact Awards ceremony in the city. California Institute of Technology professor Anima Anandkumar, musician Grimes, and Arvind Krishna, the CEO, chairman, and president of IBM, also accepted awards as a part of the night's festivities, which featured a performance by Emirati soul singer Arqam Al Abri. Anadol has spent over a decade showing the world that art can come from anywhere--even machines.