The MFA Photography, Video & Related Media Department will host a comprehensive, one-day symposium focused on the pervasive emergence of AI & its effects upon the lens & screen arts. This event is the first part of a series of lectures & discussions with artists, theorists, educators, & industry professionals reflecting on the recent explosion of interest, use, & questions surrounding AI image synthesis through tools such as DALL-E, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, & others. As Charles Traub notes, Once again, a major technological revolution has come upon us. AI has clearly emerged as a now ubiquitous tool. Its impact on the lens & screen arts, & all of our social, intellectual, & scientific practices, is only beginning to be understood.

The growing popularity of tools like DALL-E & MidJourney illustrates how artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly transforming image-making. Digital culture theorist & artist Lev Manovich will be in conversation with media scholar & writer Natasha Chuk to share examples & discuss these developments. They will address the emerging aesthetics & creative practices of AI photography & what these changes mean for the future of photography & the lens-based arts. This event is the first of a series of events & discussions exploring the relationship between AI & the lens & screen arts hosted by the MFA Photography, Video & Related Media Department at the School of Visual Arts. Stay tuned for future events in early 2023.