Artificial cultural workers
Step into a world where innovation and imagination converge, propelling Filipino artistry to unprecedented heights with the aid of AI. Here's a tantalizing glimpse into this captivating future:
Picture this: an AI-driven masterpiece, crafted with the soul of a Filipino poet, gracing the walls of galleries worldwide. With the stroke of a virtual brush, AI breathes life into the rich tapestry of Filipino culture, creating poems that echo the lyrical beauty of our native tongue. From heartfelt sonnets to stirring verses, these AI-generated works redefine the boundaries of artistic expression, captivating audiences with their raw emotion and undeniable authenticity.
But the marvels of AI extend far beyond the realm of poetry alone. Imagine a Filipino photographer, fueled by the boundless possibilities of AI, capturing images that transcend the confines of reality. With AI as their creative companion, they embark on a journey through time and space, blending past, present, and future into a mesmerizing tapestry of visual storytelling. From the bustling streets of 1930s Manila to the pulsating energy of disco clubs in distant galaxies, each image is a testament to the power of AI to expand the horizons of our imagination.
In this future, machines stand not as mere tools, but as collaborators in the creative process—partners in innovation and exploration. Together, Filipino artists and AI forge new paths of expression, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and redefining the very essence of artistry itself.
In his personal studio, rookie Filipino director Carlo Rivera eagerly collaborates with his AI assistant, Athena, on the storyboards for their upcoming film. With precision and creativity, Athena analyzes Carlo's vision and swiftly generates visually stunning sequences that seamlessly blend human emotion with technological innovation. Together, they explore narrative arcs and cinematic techniques, effortlessly transcending the boundaries between man and machine. As their collaboration unfolds, Carlo marvels at the symbiotic relationship they've forged, recognizing the boundless potential that emerges when human ingenuity merges with artificial intelligence.
With a passion for both art and nature, Filipino artist Milo embarks on a journey to capture the intricate beauty of Philippine flora through their lens. Armed with their camera, they roam lush forests, vibrant gardens, and tranquil landscapes, meticulously photographing every delicate petal, intricate leaf, and vivid bloom they encounter. Back in her studio, Mia meticulously curates their vast collection of photographs, envisioning the stunning generative artworks they'll create using this diverse dataset. With each click of their shutter, Milo not only immortalizes the breathtaking beauty of Philippine flora but also unleashes boundless creativity in the realm of digital art.
Selected Quotes
...I think with generative AI...I think it really tells us about a certain future as well, like how...the memories are edited...and what that means is that our pasts, our present, and our futures are also sort of radically changed. But then, I don't see it too much as different, as let's say, the development and history of photography, where...just because something is generated by AI doesn't mean it's...cognitively or emotionally different from let's say, a fake photograph that...one could easily claim is like a photo of the past, you know what I mean? So I don't know, I think people will just be more creative, I guess, on how they not only on how they preserve [memories], but how they create them.
I also think that with generative AI and...the ways that we know it can't really...innovate or really produce meaningful generation, like on the margins, in terms of like queerness and people who are underrepresented in tech. I think that also can make a lot of us...very critical of its output, but also want to improve representation of the content that it is basing its generation on...[T]here's this artist on Instagram who always produces like all this [generative] AI content of...Filipino clubs in the sixties, and...I think generative AI and like AI in general, like it can be very harmful but also like in the diaspora...I think it's kind of what I talked about with ChatGPT, like it kind of gives us access to futures and pasts that we can't necessarily envision right now. Like...there's not a lot of documentation that I've seen and gotten to engage with in terms of Filipino...elders...and like seeing all that content was like: "Oh my gosh, this is so beautiful". Like I know that those people existed and like everything...but like for someone to visualize that reality so beautifully, I was like: "Oh my gosh, like I just feel so represented, even though like [it's] weirdly represented, [and] even though I know it's not real". And...I think having so much creative agency that generative AI gives us is like really exciting for how we can envision ourselves in different spaces and have access to our own culture, especially when it feels like there are a lot of like rules around it...as Filipino people not in the Philippines.
Siyempre, buzzword naman yung AI. May nagtanong sa akin actually..."Mare, ano ba nasa radar ko na tech projects sa arts and culture?" Kasi nagreresearch siya and yung recommendation sa kanya ay kausapin ako. May conversation ako with him na marami talaga: diba, si Marlon Hacla, gumawa ng AI poet na robot na gumagawa ng Filipino poetry. Pero ang tagal na nun, so pinaguusapan niyo pa rin yung AI kahit luma na siya. Ngayon lang, mas matalino talaga pero yung fascination with it, medyo matagal na siya. Noong nasa La Fuerza pa yung Kwago, nandun na yung robot poet, so that was around 2018. Gusto ko [rin] ihighlight yung mga projects na political: si Christina Lopez, gumawa ng AI para mabigyan ng face yung Duterte trolls...Ako, feel ko mas gamay na ng mga tao ngayon yung AI: hindi ko lang alam kung paano pa siya maggogrow pero maraming research ngayon sa AI and paano siya nageexploit ng data natin...
...I mean, in general, tech is really seen...in a subservient role...in this world, like master helper, [and] master slave. I would say like the way tech is presented to us is very much like: "Oh, you are in control of this thing and you can tell it anything you want and it will do anything you want". And I feel like that dynamic has always been present, whether it's been Alexa, Google Home, [and] now, ChatGPT. But I think it's really shifting now to this...[role where it is] not just [seen] as a helper but also potentially [seen] as a peer or co-creator. [For example:] like ChatGPT...the way we engage with it conversationally is like give me ideas for this...because it's so generative. [Comparing] like Alexa, it was limited to commands like "Do this for me" or "Look this up for me", but with ChatGPT...and its perceived intelligence...it's moving from this subservient role to having more...perceived agency and creative freedom. So I think it's moving from something that you have control over to something that you can collaborate with, which I think is no different. But in general, I mean...people always want new technologies to feel familiar, which means to feel human. Like ChatGPT is so conversational, like all these...generative AI image models...the way people engage with them the most right now is [through] AI-generated headshots of themselves...again, something so familiar and so, so serving [of] our own interests...I feel like AI is turning more into a friend than like a servant as it has been in the past.
