Talk Outline

• Define aesthetics
• Differentiate aesthetics from visual design
• Aesthetics of contemporary AI
• History of aesthetics in technology
• Link current technologies to historical aesthetic movements

Detailed description The field of artificial intelligence has long been dominated by discussions of technical capabilities, algorithmic improvements, and functional benchmarks. Beneath this technical layer lies a rich but often unexamined tapestry of visual and cultural decisions that profoundly shape how we perceive, interact with, and ultimately integrate AI systems into our society.

This talk moves beyond simple visual design to explore how aesthetics – study of the principles of beauty and artistic taste – shapes both the creation and interpretation of AI technologies. The aesthetic choices woven into today’s AI interfaces, both for end-users and industry practitioners, reveal our deep-seated assumptions about the world.

Philosophers of art ask us to introspect: What is goodness? What is beauty? Which endeavours are most worthy of our attention? We can use these same questions to explore the ideas framing AI.

“All watched over by machines of loving grace”, a poem by Richard Brautigan, imagines a utopian future where the natural and technological worlds achieve balance and harmony, and where humans are free to pursue creative, embodied pursuits, freed of menial labour. Is this the utopia imagined by OpenAI or DeepMind when they describe the imminent arrival of AGI? Does the world as described by the big brands of AI actually align with our own imaginings of progress, of utopia?

A brief historical overview will trace how technological aesthetics have evolved, examining how different eras have visualized and presented technological innovations. This context sets the stage for drawing direct connections between current AI aesthetics and historical movements – revealing how contemporary design choices often unconsciously echo past ideological and artistic approaches.

Through these connections, I’ll demonstrate why developing a broader aesthetic literacy is crucial for AI practitioners. Understanding these historical and cultural reference points can lead to more thoughtful and effective uses of AI. As our field continues to shape the future of human-machine interaction, this aesthetic awareness becomes not just an academic exercise, but a practical necessity: providing both the groundwork for nuanced critique, and the capacity to clearly define how we expect technologies to fit into and improve our lives.