What Ethical Role Should Artists Play in the Age of AI?

AI and machine learning are reshaping our understanding of the world, raising pressing ethical questions about bias, transparency, and meaning. Artists have a crucial role in interrogating these technologies and examining how they shape human experience.

Inspired by Deleuze’s notion of meaning as fluid and relational, we can challenge machine learning’s reliance on static datasets that fail to reflect the complexities of human understanding. How might we work with communities to create datasets collaboratively—building qualitative data from the ground up that embodies shared values and diverse perspectives?

By engaging communities in this process, we can reimagine who defines data and how it is applied. This approach fosters belonging and transparency, making machine learning more inclusive. Artists can envision AI as a dynamic, responsive tool for equity and creativity, capable of adapting to the ever-changing fluidity of human meaning.