The magazine MAQ September 2018 MAQ Magazine November 2018 | Page 173

MAQ/November 2018 / 07

One part of the GAN algorithm – "the painter" – generates a picture based on those portraits, and the other – "the critic" – rejects those it considers too different from its sample set.

A spokesman for Obvious says their program approaches human creativity without reaching it. "The algorithm definitely emulates part of human creativity, such as learning through examples, the uniqueness of creations, and their belonging to a coherent ensemble. Creativity is a very special notion, in the sense that you can't replicate it without altering it. There are not two person on the earth with the same creativity, because everyone has been through different experiences and has assimilated them differently."

Christie's specialist Richard Lloyd, who is organising the sale, says the auction house is trying to join the dialogue about AI and art. "While the generative process behind the work is radically new, and the image produced is technically unique, the work has much in common with many lots in the auction as the process of a printing machine."