Our mission
Our mission is to engage in a national conversation on artificial intelligence with artists, explore its potential and amplify their impact on the major changes presented by this technological tool.
We bring together the impactful worlds of Art and AI. We explore how artists can use artificial intelligence as a creative tool as well as the various implications of AI: social, economic, political and ethical. We participate in the co-creation of a better future for all.
Art allows to explore the edges of the extreme possibilities AI might bring upon our society. Artists’ insights into the social and ethical implications of AI will ignite an informed social dialogue, a critical component of civic engagement, and co-design policy that benefits all. Support our mission by signing this petition (no donation required).
“We have the responsibility to not leave these decisions in the hands of a few people because the impacts of AI will affect everyone. There are political choices that need to be made and all citizens must be engaged.”
Yoshua Bengio
Engage
Artists for social awareness
Art is a key educational tool. Increasing the number of artists active in emerging technologies translates into improvements in AI implications.
Engage in a national conversation about AI. Our workshops are an opportunity for national and local dialogue, and will generate shared resources for those working in the arts.
Grow your skills and network, by joining the conversation and engaging with your community. It will provide opportunities to comment on, reflect, and integrate AI in your work.
Share your knowledge and needs. We aim to inform policy, improve governance, and facilitate the emergence of various projects engaging citizens on the importance of the issues at hand.
Act to create a better future for all. We believe that artistic community can lead the change on the use of AI and allow collaborations to integrate AI into existing creative practices.
Art X AI Conversation: workshops, publications +++
A local, national and international dialogue since 2019!
The Art Impact AI Coalition, a manifesto rallying artists, lawyers and experts from all disciplines in support of artists and their important role in our societies, has been signed by over 2,000 people. This movement rallies support for artists and cultural professionals to be at the table when it comes to regulating generative AI. The petition will end soon, but we're pleased to announce that:
the Art X AI conversation is migrating to an interactive platform, Algorithmic Frontiers!!!
It's an exhibition, a documentary, a space for discussion and learning. The subjects are controversial, but presented with a love of humanity and a recognition of the important role of artists in democracy.
We facilitated workshops for artists and cultural workers and between Augst 2019 and February 2020, we traveled across Canada to explore the potential of AI, heard and augmented artists’ voices on the Governance of AI. The Art Impact AI Report: Observations and Recommendations presentated by Valentine Goddard at the United Nations during the summer of 2020 have resulted in international policy recommendations underscoring the vital role of the arts in Digital Governance.
Ongoing projects are PearAI.Art (2020-2022), an algorithmic art program to counter gender bias in AI, an interactive documentary on Smart Oceans (French only), and the 4th edition of AI on a Social Mission, our annual conference on the social impact of AI.
ABOUT US
Who are we?
Art Impact has grown into an international collective of people passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration exploring the many dimensions and implications of artificial intelligence. Seed funding from the Canada Arts Council (2018) has received to continue its research and activities (residency/lab) from the Montreal Art Council, Microsoft, Borealis AI, as well as from a strong grassroots community. Our initiatives are coordinated by AI Impact Alliance, a non profit organization that operates globally offering research services, consulting and workshops on the social, ethical, legal and political impacts of AI. It is recognized by the Montreal Art Council as a digital arts research organization. AI Impact Alliance draws on the support of an extensive international network and deep understanding of the AI ecosystem. The first series of workshops (2019) were co-lead with UKAI, a Toronto based non-profit, founded and directed by Jerrold McGrath.
Our Founder
Valentine Goddard is a United Nations expert in AI Policy and Governance, a lawyer, certified mediator and an inter-art professional. Ms. Goddard is the founder and executive director of AI Impact Alliance, a founding civil society organisational member of the International Observatory on the Ethical and Social Impact of AI (OBVIA) and of the Responsible AI Consortium. She is the lead architect of the AI on a Social Mission Conference, a respected international conference on the ethical and social implications of AI, and the Art Impact AI programs which position the arts’ critical role in the future of AI and democracy.
Valentine provides expertise on emerging regulatory frameworks on AI and data including anticipatory foresight of their socioeconomic implications. She delivers programs that bridge civic engagement and knowledge mobilisation with policy innovation, and leads international policy working groups on critical issues such as gender equality in digital economies and the environment. In collaboration with her global network of high-level experts, she supports organisations in their adoption of Responsible AI and delivers thought-provoking content on the design and the governance of AI Systems. She is regularly invited to speak and advise on critical issues regarding the impact of Generative AI on the future of the Arts and society.
Sample work includes the following: provide research and advice for regional stakeholders on the social and legal feasibility of an oceanographic data trust for fisheries in Quebec Civil Law; analyse and provide recommendations on EU and Canada’s AI and Data proposed regulations; design an engaging data annotation application to counter gender bias with an interdisciplinary team (HCI, NLP, artists), a project that reached women and womxn from 40+ countries; a number of mandates on youth and AI (privacy, health); research impact of social media on Indigenous peoples and improve a hate detection algorithm while facilitating the identification of data annotation best practices in NLP; lead the co-creation of an interactive documentary on smart oceans; create engagement, learning and knowledge sharing materials such as serious games on AI. Mozilla Creative Media Awardee for algorithmic art (or not) to counter bias in AI.
At the junction of Art & AI are critical conversations. This is a space to facilitate discussions on the complex implications involved, with and by artists.
Algorithmic Frontiers (2024) is a controversial interactive exhibit…provocative.
Presented by
Below are the organizations that have supported some of our past activities and programs. Contact v . goddard @allianceimpact. org to join our growing list of partners.
We are proud that Mila, the Quebec AI Research Institute, Hexagram, Indefinite Arts, Artengine, and Centre de développement et de recherche en imagerie numérique offered support to this project. Internationally, Creative AI in the UK and STATE in Berlin are also supporters.