ThoughtWorks Arts is seeking applications for its 16 weeks residency programme from artists who will deeply investigate alternative routes to monopolistic Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of its initiative which is aiming to democratize access to and ownership of artificial intelligence.
ThoughtWorks Arts, working in partnership with Snark.art, a developer of blockchain for art, is looking for innovative artistic approaches to these challenges, including, but not limited to, emerging relationships between AI, blockchain, open source and global control that will result in a unique artwork.
According to Ben Goertzel of SingularityNET, artificial intelligence is on its way to being dominated by a few major players, possibly as soon as within the next five years with the potential to generate monopolistic environments with a lack of recourse for individuals and disempowered peoples, and to centralize systems of control.
Though no-one yet knows how this will play out, ThoughtWorks Arts is however exploring SingularityNET’s vision — of democratizing access to and ownership of artificial intelligence — as a resource for inquiry.
ThoughtWorks will provide a work space, facilitation in San Francisco, and access to guides and consultants, as well as appropriate resources as the project progresses. It will not provide housing or work visas, and is for the artist only. It does not include family members.
The residency spans sixteen weeks, with time for a break over the holidays, and comes with a stipend of $11,000. They can provide assistance, if necessary, in supplying a letter of intent to any external funding agencies that might facilitate the residency. Individuals who need to apply for visas should be particularly sensitive to recent issues surrounding work visas and consult with their own country’s authorities for assistance in crafting their applications to visit San Francisco.
Applicants must submit a proposal using the online application form available at https://forms.gle/QTuBdqU3uLUnfjf59 by the application deadline of July 31, 2019.
The proposal should say who the applicant is, what his/her project idea is, and how he/she plans to implement it. It should also include the skills the applicant possesses, and the skills and equipment he/she will require for the project. Where there are skills required which applicants do not have or cannot supply, they should let the organisers know.
The organisers will contact applicants with final selection information by August 29, 2019.
The programme directors have published an explanatory article that can be viewed, read or downloaded at ttps://thoughtworksarts.io/blog/why-democratization-ai-blockchain/.
Interested persons who have questions are advised to contact Paige King at this email address: info@thoughtworksarts.io.
