The Search for Originality in the Age of Mainstream AI

The popularity of AI art has exploded over the past decade. From its beginnings with DeepDream in 2015, AI art has moved beyond technology circles into the public eye, shaping media art, contemporary art, and digital culture. The rise of prompting, multimodal AI and AI agents have expanded creative possibilities, while concerns over AI slop and copyright continue to fuel critical discourse. As generative AI tools become widely accessible, artists are exploring new forms of collaboration, aesthetics, and authorship. This talk will give an overview of how artists have been using and thinking about AI, its creative potential, and societal impact.