Hello, world! I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to Artful Intelligence, a bite-sized weekly substack about art, technology, and the human condition in the age of AI. Each week, I’ll highlight a work of art that illuminates something about our relationship with creativity–and how the rise of Large Language Models and Generative Artificial Intelligence affects our understanding of it.

This first installment takes us to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, a treasure trove of tiny, intricate machines. The museum was one of my first site visits during my Fulbright research in Switzerland, which explored the economic impact of museums on their environs. And along with cheese and chocolate, watchmaking has held an enduring influence on Switzerland’s global reputation.

Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe has produced some of the most innovative and luxurious timepieces in the world. The firm is well-known for its meticulous designs, including the Graves Supercomplication, which was the world’s most sophisticated pocket watch for half a century. Achieving this mechanical complexity led to other inventions, like our artwork of the week: the Singing Bird Box.

Called “the plaything of kings,” these intricate boxes gleaming with enamel inlay and golden filigree contain a surprise. With the flick of a switch, they release a tiny, mechanical bird (with real hummingbird plumage) that begins to sing. Through a system of minuscule bellows and pipes, the bird sings a sharp little tune as it flits about a track, chirping and gyrating according to its precise programming.

Speaking honestly, I don’t think one would ever say, “Wow, I was convinced that was a real bird!” But the experience is still enchanting; the little machine twirls for us as if on a stage, where we can marvel at how closely it mimics the real thing.

That is why the Singing Bird Box feels like such an apt place to begin these meditations on art and creativity. If AI tools can be said to “perform” for us, riffing on the elaborate scripts that we've programmed for them, then they feel very much like a miraculous plaything ready to pop at the flick of a switch. But it is, of course, also categorically different. When the script unspools into improvisation, we find ourselves opening an entirely new box of questions, ones we’ll explore in future editions.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little artistic excursion. If you have, subscribe and share :)

References

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