Ringling College will host its inaugural artificial intelligence symposium Sept. 13-14. The two-day educational event titled AI and Creative Innovation: Advocating for Artists and Designers will bring together a variety of educators, lawyers, artists and thought leaders who work both directly and indirectly within the field of AI and have specific knowledge and insight about its effects on the art and design industry. The symposium is a ticketed event and will feature a series of lectures, Q&As, workshops and a panel discussion to help attendees navigate the ethical, legal and industry concerns posed by artificial intelligence. Registration for the symposium is currently open. 

The symposium includes “hAIbrid Design: The Best of Both Worlds,” a keynote address from artist and designer Kirsten Zirngibl; a screening of Amelia Winger-Bearskin’s film, I would like to be midnight / I would like to be sky, followed by a talk about the algorithms, AI and processes she used to create the film; “The artists’ control of consent: AI ethics and solutions” and “Building ethically-sourced generative models with Source.Plus” with artist and professor Kurt Paulsen; and a workshop about identifying AI-generated content led by John Licato, Ph.D., a professor and founder of a new AI startup Actualization.AI. Additional speakers will include digital worlds expert Eamon O’Connor, copyright attorney Mark Traphagen and Ringling College faculty including Christina Hess, Matt Myers and Morgan Woolverton.

The symposium will also mark the opening of Artificial Visions: Faculty Explorations in AI Artistry, an exhibition on view Sept. 19-Oct. 11. The exhibition, which features works by Ringling College faculty members, merges technology and artistic expression and features a range of AI-generated works, from paintings to interactive installations driven by machine learning algorithms. It encourages visitors to consider the evolving relationship between humans and machines and AI’s role in the future of art and society.