Art and Technology: A Conversation With OpenAI's First Artist in Residence, Alex Reben

Wednesday - April 3 2024, 19:04 UTC - 7 months ago

Alex Reben is OpenAI's first artist in residence, known for using humor and absurdity in his artwork to approach serious topics surrounding the co-evolution of humans and technology. He has been working with OpenAI for years and has a background in math, robotics, and creating robots like Baymax from Big Hero 6. Reben challenges negative perceptions of AI and sees it as a tool for positive impact.

Alex Reben's work is often absurd, sometimes surreal: a mash-up of giant ears imagined by DALL-E and sculpted by hand out of marble; critical burns generated by ChatGPT that thumb the nose at AI art. But its message is relevant to everyone. Reben is interested in the roles humans play in a world filled with machines, and how those roles are changing. He is OpenAI's first artist in residence, working with the company for years before officially taking on the appointment in January for a three-month period. However, Reben plans to continue collaborating with OpenAI beyond this time.

Reben's unique approach to using humor and absurdity in his artwork allows for a more approachable discussion of serious topics surrounding the co-evolution of humans and technology. He explains, "Some artists may come at things head-on in a very serious manner, but I find if you're a little absurd it makes the ideas more approachable, even if the story you're trying to tell is very serious." .

Reben's fascination with the relationship between humans and technology stems from his time at MIT's Media Lab, where he studied math and robotics and helped create a cardboard robot that inspired the character Baymax in the movie Big Hero 6. He currently serves as the director of technology and research at Stochastic Labs, a nonprofit incubator for artists and engineers in Berkeley, California.

In our conversation via Zoom, Reben shares his thoughts on the unresolved tension between art and technology and the future of human creativity. He also highlights the importance of using technology as a tool for positive impact and challenging negative perceptions of AI in the media.

Reben acknowledges that while he is often labeled as an AI artist, he sees AI as just another technological tool. He explains, "If something comes along after AI that interests me, I wouldn't, like, say, 'Oh, I'm only an AI artist.'" He believes that technology plays a significant role in shaping humanity, stating, "You know, we are who we are today because of technology." .

Despite the negative voices often dominating the conversation surrounding AI, Reben points out the many positive ways in which AI is being used. He hopes to continue using his artistic platform to showcase the potential for AI to bring about positive change.