Classroom Questions

Questions for “Computers are changing how art is made”

a photo of a girl playing a guitar in front of her laptop, she is wearing headphones around her neck

Increasingly, artists are teaming up with computers. Some look for inspiration. Others might ask a computer to create a melody for their lyrics. Several computer programs even design paintings from scratch. Such programs are raising questions about whether computer are only assistants or might be considered true equals.

damircudic/E+/Getty Images

By Science News Explores

To accompany feature “Computers are changing how art is made”

TECHNOLOGY

Before Reading:

1. Do you think a machine, such as a computer, can function as a true artist? Why — or why not?

2. When someone uses a computer to create music or visual art, is that person truly an artist? Explain your reasoning

During Reading:

1.  What is an algorithm?

2.  Name some everyday tasks or apps that use algorithms.

3.  What is artificial intelligence, or AI?

4.  What kinds of artists use AI? Give examples of how they might use AI algorithms.

5.  When did visual artists first start creating art with computers? What was the first artistic AI system and what type of art did it help produce?

6.  According to recent research at Rutgers, how good are people at judging whether artwork was created by humans or a computer? Describe the experiment.

7.  What is the Turing Test?

8.  How are artists using computer programs like Playform and ALYSIA to create visual art and music?

9.  When algorithms are used in the creative process, are the computers themselves creative?

10. What role do computer scientists play in the creative process?

After Reading:

1.  After reading this article, has your opinion about artists who use computer algorithms to create their art changed? Explain.

2.  Can you give examples of music or movies that could not have been made without the use of computers?

CULTURE & SOCIETY

1.  What are the benefits to society of using AI to create art? What are the downsides, if any?

2.  Is it fair to compare art produced using computers with art created by human artists working on their own? Is one more admirable than the other? Explain why or why not.