An authority on creativity introduces us to AI-powered computers that
are creating art, literature, and music that may well surpass the
creations of humans.
Today's computers are composing music that sounds "more Bach than Bach,"
turning photographs into paintings in the style of Van Gogh's Starry
Night, and even writing screenplays. But are computers truly
creative--or are they merely tools to be used by musicians, artists, and
writers? In this book, Arthur I. Miller takes us on a tour of creativity
in the age of machines.
Miller, an authority on creativity, identifies the key factors essential
to the creative process, from "the need for introspection" to "the
ability to discover the key problem." He talks to people on the cutting
edge of artificial intelligence, encountering computers that mimic the
brain and machines that have defeated champions in chess, Jeopardy!,
and Go. In the central part of the book, Miller explores the riches of
computer-created art, introducing us to artists and computer scientists
who have, among much else, unleashed an artificial neural network to
create a nightmarish, multi-eyed dog-cat; taught AI to imagine;
developed a robot that paints; created algorithms for poetry; and
produced the world's first computer-composed musical, Beyond the
Fence, staged by Android Lloyd Webber and friends.
But, Miller writes, in order to be truly creative, machines will need to
step into the world. He probes the nature of consciousness and speaks to
researchers trying to develop emotions and consciousness in computers.
Miller argues that computers can already be as creative as humans--and
someday will surpass us. But this is not a dystopian account; Miller
celebrates the creative possibilities of artificial intelligence in art,
music, and literature.
