AI has democratised creativity, serving as a fertile ground for new artistic movements say tech experts ahead of GITEX GLOBAL's Ai Everything conference


DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 14, 2023 - AI in less than a year has reshaped the boundaries of multimedia and art, rocking the foundations of human endeavour, and disrupting all perceptions of what is possible in the new AI era. Yet, fears that it's apparent super intelligence can take-over all concepts of human creativity are overblown, and for the world's artists, creatives, and musicians, AI has rather democratised creativity, serving as a fertile ground for new artistic movements, according to tech experts.

Aarash Darroodi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Fender Guitars, believes that while AI can replicate, create, and innovate new sounds from instruments hitherto deemed impossible, it will never replace the human 'emotional footprint'.

"I sincerely believe that AI will help humans discover new sounds and genres of music, however the greatest art, including music, comes directly from human emotions," says Darroodi, a speaker at GITEX GLOBAL's Ai Everything conference in Dubai next week.

"Happiness, sadness, love, pain, fear, are things that a computer just can't replicate. The human 'emotional fingerprint' will still be required to create great music and art, and I see AI as a tool for creation, not as the creator."

Darroodi said the initial reaction to any leap in technology in humanity is fear and resistance, but this quickly dissipates as perceived utility increases. "The greatest art comes from the interaction of a diverse set of humans, however this process takes a long time and is difficult to do," said Darroodi, who will speak about how AI, the blockchain, and the metaverse will forever change music creation, ownership and distribution, at GITEX GLOBAL, which takes place from 16-20 October 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

"Imagine AI simulating these interactions, even millions of interactions, in seconds. The world will never be the same again. AI is not only going to be part of our lives, it's going to define the future of our lives and the future of humanity."

An AI-infused fertile ground for new creative movements

Darroodi's comments are mirrored by fellow GITEX GLOBAL speaker Sweek Kiat Lim, Co-Founder of Pebblely, a generative AI tool that transforms seemingly boring pictures into beautiful marketing assets in seconds. Lim likens AI's emergence to that of photography in the 19th century, which may have had its sceptics among realism painters of the time.

"When photography was invented in the 19th century, it probably evoked a similar range of reactions from the artistic circles at the time," says Lim, a speaker at Ai Everything on generative AI media for the real world. "But in hindsight, photography liberated artists from the need to depict reality as is, and catalysed the emergence of Impressionism.

"Likewise, the current wake of AI-powered technologies will no doubt serve as fertile ground for new creative movements. To expect otherwise would be to severely underestimate the ingenuity of the human creative spirit."

Lim said the open source community will continue to play a major role in the development of AI technologies, but these projects will probably remain in the realm of hackers: "Transforming these into user-friendly mass-market apps will require more specialised and dedicated teams, whether in the form of start-ups or enterprises," added Lim.

"I'm hopeful that the lowering costs of these open-source developments will level the playing field for small start-ups to compete on equal terms with larger corporations, which means we'll see a proliferation of start-ups delivering amazing products and outpacing the tech giants. Technology-wise, video is definitely on the horizon, as well as 3D models, and even maybe an AI-generated feature-length film by the end of next year?"

Democratising multi-media creativity

Meanwhile, Moti Levy, the CEO of DeviantArt, the world's largest online art community with more than 85 million users and 500 million pieces of art, said DeviantArt is witnessing an exponential growth of people using generative AI tools. In his opinion, this is no different than other creative tech disruptions through history, including the revolution of digital art and the introduction of tools such as photoshop.

"AI tools are helping to democratise creativity," said Levy. "These tools empower people who always wanted to be creative, to translate their dreams, fears, thoughts, and feelings into something more than just words. Now, with the introduction of generative AI tools, people can express themselves in new ways.

Levy said there are many creators in the art community who're already incorporating AI tools into their workflows and processes, but AI tools, like any other tools, are not an art form, but rather another technological tool. "We are big supporters of any technology that pushes the creative boundaries forward and enables more people to express themselves," he added.

"We should embrace AI tools, but we should also be smart and responsible in how we utilise these tools while providing the relevant protections, checks and balances for the creator community."

GITEX GLOBAL is the world's largest tech event, its 43rd edition in 2023 featuring 6,000 exhibitors, while Expand North Star hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is the world's largest start-up show, taking place from 15-18 October 2021 with 1,800 exhibiting start-ups and 1,000 investors with US$1 trillion under management.

The blockbuster duo across two Dubai mega venues also features 21 conference tracks with more than 1,500 expert speakers from across the globe delivering 900-plus hours of immersive mind-stretching content.

More information is available at www.gitex.com and www.expandnorthstar.com

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A global business facilitator since 1979, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is home to region's leading purpose-built convention and exhibition centre. DWTC provides a platform for connecting people, products, innovation and ideas from around the world through a dynamic calendar of international trade exhibitions and its own roster of sector leading mega events. As a designated free zone, complemented by award-winning commercial real estate, DWTC plays an integral role in Dubai and the region's growth story with an estimated total economic output of AED 200 Billion, attracting over 30 Million business visitors to Dubai over the past four decades.