Cybernetic Forests

Cybernetic Forests delves into the complexities of artificial intelligence, data ethics, and the intersection of technology with human artistry and society. Through critique and analysis, it explores AI's limitations, ethical concerns, impacts on culture, and the role of human creativity in technology-driven environments.

Artificial Intelligence Data Privacy and Ethics Generative AI and Society Human Interaction with Technology AI in Art and Creativity Future of Technology and Society Environmental Impact of AI Copyright and Digital Ownership AI-generated Media and Misinformation Technological Infrastructure

The hottest Substack posts of Cybernetic Forests

And their main takeaways

Communication in the Presence of Noise

39 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🎶 Music Experimental AI Critique Resistance
  1. The new album "Communication in the Presence of Noise" by The Organizing Committee is a blend of AI experimentation and antifascist critique in music.
  2. The project aims to start conversations about AI early, challenging the perception of music created by machines as opposed to humans.
  3. The Organizing Committee's music serves as a form of resistance against unregulated technological optimism, applying critical data studies to subvert computational ideologies.

A Short Note on Subscriptions

59 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative Art AI Art
  1. The author is offering a special promotion for readers to support their newsletter with a $1.00 monthly donation until September 1st.
  2. The newsletter includes interviews with new media artists, explorations of generative art practices, examinations of generative AI, and historicizing cybernetic and generative art work.
  3. Readers are encouraged to support the newsletter with financial contributions or by sharing it with others who might appreciate its content.

The Salt and the Women

139 implied HN points • 22 Jan 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Film AI Tools Narrative Interpretation Poetry
  1. The film 'The Salt and the Women' is an experimental exploration of AI tools and creativity, blending themes of mushrooms, AI, and generative cinema to tell a unique narrative.
  2. By working with AI tools to create art, the artist can steer emergent themes and create complex interactions between images, text, and music, resulting in a rich storytelling experience.
  3. Pairing AI-generated images and text can lead to stochastic resonance, where noise in the data aligns to amplify a signal, allowing artists to craft new stories by combining different elements.

Address Not Found (Part 1)

79 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Communication Algorithm Neural Networks Media
  1. The organization of information shapes the world by prioritizing what is relevant and categorizing discourse, leading to challenges and social movements.
  2. Digital mediation of communication alters the intended recipient and how messages are perceived by algorithms like Twitter, causing misunderstanding and lack of context.
  3. AI systems should be viewed as communication networks, translating and re-encoding human discourse, but currently function as closed, noisy systems with weighted biases that limit new ideas.

What I’ve Been Reading This Year

139 implied HN points • 18 Dec 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Creative Process Social Commentary
  1. Reflection on the problems and implications of AI-based image generation in art
  2. Consideration of the origin and context of AI training data, highlighting issues like exploitation and biases
  3. Exploration of rethinking AI images as material for artistic expression, and the importance of artists reclaiming agency over these tools and the images they create
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Language is a SimCity

59 implied HN points • 02 Jul 23
🔬 Science Language Statistics AI Generative models Neural Networks
  1. Language can be seen as a dynamic city, shaped by collective contributions that form its intricate structure.
  2. Generative AI models, like GPT4, rely on statistics and random selection to produce text, often betraying a lack of true understanding.
  3. Human communication involves a choice between shallow, statistically-driven speech, like that of machines, and deeper, intent-driven speech that seeks to convey personal truths.

Dancing About Network Architecture

39 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Artificial Intelligence Data processing
  1. Dancing often comments on the space it happens in, whether intentionally or not, showing a connection between movement and design.
  2. Information in digital systems is usually stripped of physical origins and context, leading to loss and ambiguity.
  3. Artificial Intelligence often operates in a disembodied way, overlooking the importance of incorporating embodied knowledge and experiences.

Address Not Found (Part 2)

59 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Communication Media Data Analysis
  1. Communication technologies historically categorized into one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many transmission systems.
  2. Artificial Intelligence operates in a unique structure called many-to-one-to-one, where data from multiple sources shapes responses for individual users.
  3. AI systems, despite the appearance of one-to-one engagement, actually function asynchronously and as a blend of many-to-one transmission, controlled by the operators and designers.

Sound in the Shape of Electricity

59 implied HN points • 16 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Experimental Art Generative Art
  1. Dogbotic is a unique educational space teaching technology through a hands-on, creative, and abstract approach.
  2. Exploring generative art and music through tools like AI and tape loops can lead to innovative ways of creating and understanding sound.
  3. Thinking critically about the use and misuse of new technologies like AI can spark profound insights into our relationship with these tools and their impact on society.

The Zero Has Traces of the One

39 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Multimedia Creative Process Collaboration Technology
  1. The process of creating art can be just as significant as the final product, with each step informing the meaning and depth of the work.
  2. Art can contain multiple layers of meaning simultaneously, reflecting complexities like trauma and grief that are typically not straightforward.
  3. There is a challenge in balancing authenticity and polish in creative work, as well as in navigating the pressures of social media and algorithms.

Synthesizing Introspection: The AI Mediated Self

99 implied HN points • 04 Dec 22
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Self-care Artificial Intelligence Data Analysis
  1. The challenge of using AI for introspection is knowing what you are really asking and understanding the limitations of the technology.
  2. Conversing with AI to simulate interactions with younger versions of oneself may not provide personalized or beneficial insights.
  3. Relying on AI for deep introspection or personal growth may present risks of misunderstanding, projection, and avoidance of true self-care.

The Most Generated Barn in America

79 implied HN points • 08 Jan 23
🕹 Technology AI Ontology Images Data Models
  1. Different names proposed before settling on 'photograph' offer unique perspectives on how people made sense of images.
  2. AI images are not photographs, as they use light differently and inscribe ontologies onto noise using data and categories.
  3. Ontolography, a proposed term for AI-generated images, emphasizes the domain-specific knowledge influencing their production and underlines how they are shaped by the category assignments and labels given to them.

A Brief History of Static

59 implied HN points • 29 Jan 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Data Visualization Digital Art
  1. Refik Anadol's AI art piece, 'Unsupervised,' at MoMA uses AI to interpret and reimagine the history of modern art, creating a mesh of pixelated visuals.
  2. Interpolation in AI refers to filling in the gaps between data points or images, creating a smooth transition and possible new variations.
  3. The concept of interpolation extends to creating a connection and kinship between disparate entities in an artistic representation, showcasing the latent possibilities in the in-between spaces.

Fear of AI is Profitable

39 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Ethics Art Neural Networks
  1. Fear of AI can be profitable through marketing strategies that capitalize on existential threats from AI.
  2. There is skepticism about the narratives surrounding powerful AI systems being motivated by fear of sentient AI surpassing humans.
  3. Prioritizing speculative future AI risks can distract from addressing the immediate impacts of AI technology on society and real-world problems.

The Purpose of a System is What it Does

59 implied HN points • 20 Nov 22
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Text generation Social media
  1. The purpose of a system is reflected in what it actually does, not just what it claims to do.
  2. AI systems like Galactica may generate convincing but inaccurate results due to lack of contextual understanding.
  3. Criticism and evaluation of AI technology is crucial to ensure intended purposes align with actual outcomes and potential risks are identified.

A Generative Week

39 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Generative Art Artificial Intelligence Visualization Experimental Art
  1. Eryk Salvaggio will be a guest on BBC 4's _Digital Humans_ radio show discussing creativity and automation in AI art
  2. Sensitive Noise is an AI-generated artwork exploring content moderation and human sensuality through censored images
  3. Apply for STORY x CODE, a residency program focusing on AI and Machine Learning in storytelling, filmmaking, and animation

Nonobody's Mathematical Bio-Pianolas

19 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🔬 Science AI Data interpretation Information processing Ethics
  1. The story explores the disconnect between data produced by the body and how machines interpret it, highlighting the complexities in translating and calibrating data.
  2. It questions the dangers of misinterpreting brain activity as a linear flow of information, emphasizing the importance of understanding gaps when reconstructing signals.
  3. The narrative offers a prescient warning about the misuse of automated statistical analysis systems to determine societal control based on physical characteristics, urging critical examination of the tools and notions used.

The Prompt

59 implied HN points • 03 Jul 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Poetry Visual art Technology Prompts AI
  1. Artificial Intelligence models like DALLE and Imagen can create photorealistic outputs from text prompts based on statistical analysis of images.
  2. The act of writing a poem involves a personal emotional experience that machines, lacking emotion, cannot replicate.
  3. The interpretation of machine-generated outputs as art or poetry lies with humans, who bring their own context and response to these creations, making them art through recontextualization.

Mushrooms, Recursion and You

39 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Music Design Creative Writing Media Critique
  1. The post explores the interaction between mushrooms, synthesizers, and human design in creating music.
  2. Recursion, the act of repeating levels of systems, is highlighted as complex but essential for intentional decision-making.
  3. The music created reflects layers of feedback and exchange from the mushroom, synthesizer, cables, designer, and listener, emphasizing collaboration and interconnectedness.

Diffusing the Everyday & Latent Animation

19 implied HN points • 07 May 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Animation Workshops Artistic Process Photography
  1. A workshop on AI x Design and SubLab covered topics like AI's 'dreaming' myth and transforming videos with Stable Diffusion.
  2. An upcoming workshop with artist Fabian Mosele will focus on creating animation styles consistent across frames, offering insights into generating characters in motion with AI.
  3. Attendees in Seoul can join the Adrenalin Prompt zine-crafting festival starting May 11 to explore prompt-generated images and texts.

Towards a Situationist Blockchain

79 implied HN points • 12 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Blockchain Cryptocurrency Art Research Governance
  1. Bitcoin's revolutionary potential is critiqued for maintaining libertarian, capitalist perspectives and lacking discussion on equitable distribution of benefits.
  2. The Situationist International emphasized reclaiming lived experiences from distractions of the spectacle and offered detournement as a tactic for transformation.
  3. LutteCoin challenges the concept of productivity by reimagining blockchain with a Proof of Non-Work protocol, aiming for liberation from digital spectacle and a focus on immaterial desires.

DALLE, AARON, Kata: Strategies for Legibility

39 implied HN points • 28 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Creative Process
  1. Harold Cohen developed AARON in the 1970s, an AI program that co-created art with him, showcasing a unique relationship between the artist and the machine.
  2. Artists can infuse their spirit into tools and images, as seen in the Japanese textile tradition, emphasizing purpose and repetitive practice.
  3. Strategies for artist legibility within sophisticated image-making systems like DALLE2 involve using prompts, selections, and exploring the concept of feedback loops through repetition and variation.

Artificial General Imaginaries

59 implied HN points • 21 Mar 22
🕹 Technology AI Imagination Ethics Innovation Tech industry
  1. Be skeptical when dreams are designed for you by others, especially in discussions about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
  2. Conversations about AGI can derail problem-solving discussions, shifting the focus to hypotheticals rather than concrete actions
  3. AGI discussions can serve as thought-terminating clich\u00e9s, distracting from the real issues and work that need to be addressed

Toward Sympoietic Mycomusicology

39 implied HN points • 12 Jun 22
🔬 Science Music Technology Ecology Philosophy
  1. Mushrooms play a significant role in transforming materials to support life, showcasing a symbiotic relationship with the environment.
  2. The coordination and information exchange within mushroom bodies and networks can be likened to circuit boards, showing potential for capturing digital information.
  3. Exploring the connection between mushrooms and synthesizers delves into the concept of sympoiesis, highlighting the collaborative production and distribution of control and information.

Where Does the World Happen?

19 implied HN points • 27 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Creativity Psychology Consciousness Ecosystems
  1. Redefining relationships to the rest of existence is crucial for survival and progress. Adapting our understanding and connection to the world is essential for moving forward.
  2. Worlding involves exploring the emergent place-making between subjects and the quality of relationships within that space. It's about the relationships built through interactions, perspectives, and scales.
  3. Questioning the extractive nature of capitalism and technology is vital. Recognizing the interactivity with the world and challenging extractive consciousness through new perspectives are key to fostering more respectful and sustainable relationships.

Terms of Engagement

39 implied HN points • 20 Feb 22
🕹 Technology Social media Algorithms Communication Design Digital Culture
  1. Communication requires good transmission and reception; without care on either end, hurt can result.
  2. Play and playfulness emerge from safety and shared agreement; the absence of play can lead to authoritarianism and fear.
  3. Social media structures can breed algorithmic indifference, filtering out personal content and hindering meaningful communication.

Seeing Like a Dataset: Notes on AI Photography

19 implied HN points • 06 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography AI Art Visual art
  1. Photography rules shape how we see; AI photography requires composing multiple images to train models.
  2. AI photography focuses on continuity and variation in datasets over single images, contrasting with human instincts.
  3. AI photographers aim to create predictable outputs through training models with large datasets, reshaping how we perceive the world.

A Tourist's Guide to Datasets

59 implied HN points • 04 Jul 21
🕹 Technology Data Collection Machine Learning Data interpretation Data Sharing Digital Art
  1. Machines understand models of reality through data, influenced by what is deemed significant, leading to gaps and potential misinterpretations.
  2. Datasets are contextual and not universally applicable, emphasizing the importance of clear documentation and awareness of data limitations.
  3. Creating a 'Tourist's Guide to Datasets' with annotations and personal insights can enhance understanding and avoid misuse when data is reused for different purposes.

Brick Lane Cybernetics

39 implied HN points • 27 Dec 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Cybernetics Language Architecture Design
  1. Annetta Pedretti was a cybernetic linguist known for fostering conversations about conversations, emphasizing the importance of writing and communicating consciously.
  2. Language is a complex system that reflects history and meaning, requiring active listening, questioning, and response to understand its nuances.
  3. Cybernetics is about relationships between complex systems, such as language and architecture, and involves navigating boundaries, challenging clichés, and engaging in curious, slow-building conversations.

Radicalized by the Game Genie

19 implied HN points • 18 Sep 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Video Games Creative Expression
  1. The Game Genie introduced the idea that the invisible codes of software and society are changeable, inspiring a period of art crimes and hacking into perceived norms.
  2. AI art creation tools like DALLE2 can be viewed as game engines for art, setting rules within which artists create, illustrating the importance of navigating the boundaries between tools and personal expression.
  3. Artists have historically used tools like machinima and hacking to subvert and repurpose gaming structures for storytelling, highlighting the potential for AI art to evolve beyond prompt responses.

Of Oscillons and Cybernetic Tortoises

19 implied HN points • 06 Sep 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Art AI Art Emerging technologies Artistic expression
  1. Ben Laposky created early computer-generated art using oscilloscopes, demonstrating the blending of art and technology.
  2. The definition of AI has evolved over time, with different companies and eras defining it based on their needs.
  3. Artificial intelligence can be viewed as a product of relationships between components, like with the Cybernetic Tortoises, rather than just data-driven processes.

Syzygetic Cartographies

59 implied HN points • 14 Feb 21
🎭️ Culture Art Technology Literature Design Science
  1. Syzygy describes unexpected combinations of things or concepts, like astronomy's alignment of celestial bodies or Pataphysics' imaginative coincidences.
  2. Maps can be more than physical territories; psychogeography creates personalized maps reflecting relationships and meanings within a city's spaces.
  3. Syzygetic cartography involves mapping internal psychological spaces collaboratively, challenging individuals to find unexpected alignments in their inner territories.

The Art Machines of Zagreb

39 implied HN points • 09 May 21
🎨 Art & Illustration
  1. The exhibition 'New Tendencies' in Zagreb from 1960-1971 aimed to democratize art away from the exclusivity of the art market by emphasizing reproducibility and democratization of aesthetic experiences.
  2. The focus on 'objective' scientific research in the New Tendencies exhibition blurred the line between art and science, challenging traditional notions of the artist's role.
  3. Old computer art works, like those from the New Tendencies exhibition, provide a window into rethinking what we can do with technology and offer clarity on the systems' possibilities.

This Emptiness is Normal

39 implied HN points • 14 Mar 21
🕹 Technology Cybernetics Philosophy Art Algorithm Computer Science
  1. Contemporary computing culture stems from a simple idea of punch cards, leading to a series of binary choices that automate decisions.
  2. Yuk Hui suggests viewing organisms as behaviors of their components and interactions, blurring the lines between organic and built systems.
  3. Hui encourages a shift from mechanistic thinking to understanding machines based on their behaviors, interactions, and integration into human lives.

Infinite Barnacle

19 implied HN points • 13 Feb 22
🕹 Technology Generative Art Machine Learning Digital Art Artificial Intelligence
  1. Memories and data are distinct - photographs capture data, while memories hold fragments of experiences.
  2. Technology can transform memories into new data - a machine can create new pictures from a collection of images.
  3. Generative images challenge the concept of memory - creating variations that may not accurately reflect the original experience.

Interdisciplinarity means Intersectionality

19 implied HN points • 23 May 21
🎭️ Culture Ethical considerations
  1. Interdisciplinarity breaks down boundaries between different fields of knowledge, allowing for new connections and insights to emerge.
  2. Specialization in knowledge has led to isolation and lack of communication between different fields, hindering the exchange of ideas.
  3. Embracing intersectionality in disciplines by incorporating diverse lived experiences alongside expertise leads to more balanced and imaginative knowledge creation.

NFTrees

19 implied HN points • 18 Apr 21
🔮 Crypto Cryptocurrency NFTs Digital Art Decentralization Smart Contracts
  1. Artists are experimenting with digital contracts and smart contracts in art projects like Terra0 and Plantoid, exploring new forms of economic units and self-evolving sculptures.
  2. Cryptocurrencies like Trust/Risk challenge traditional financial systems by creating decentralized charitable networks where money is burned into the price of a currency and used for communal support.
  3. The rise of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin demonstrates a shift towards digital rituals and communal investments, rather than traditional monetary transactions, with a focus on speculative value and community engagement.

Data in Rust

19 implied HN points • 11 Apr 21
🕹 Technology Data Storage Art Music Programming Computing
  1. Tape was the first data storage medium, made of iron oxide with data inscribed by magnets, and tape art and music have explored its possibilities.
  2. Music on tape has influenced data on tape, with notable examples like Brian Eno and Delia Darbyshire using tape as a creative tool.
  3. Art, like music experimentation, serves as a space for safe exploration and where things can break, contributing to science and knowledge without being driven solely by profit or power.