Plenty of promise in Qatar for AI, digital art: artist

A Doha-based artist has expressed optimism that Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as digital art, are expected to flourish in Qatar and the region due to the burgeoning art scene and artists’ huge interest in emerging technologies.“I think, collectively, it (AI) is going to influence a lot of different aspects, including the application for art,” Dr James She, an associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s College of Science and Engineering, told Gulf Times.He is one of the artists selected as part of Doha Fire Station’s Artist in Residence programme. This Qatar Museums (QM) initiative provides mentorship, opportunities to work with curators, open studios and access to the building’s facilities such as fabrication lab, woodshop and exhibition spaces.Dr She cited the growing interest in digital art and AI, saying that some art communities across the globe have been pushing strongly to use it, which is now being adopted in different industries.About Doha’s art scene, he described it as “very energetic and growing very fast” as the country is putting a lot of efforts to develop it in various directions.“I think in terms of culture development, art is one of the key developments and they put a lot of efforts like building museums, organising an array of activities to push for arts,” said Dr She, who is showcasing some of his AI artworks at Gallery 3.He lauded the Doha Fire Station for its residency programme, saying it is “an excellent venue for some noble new approach of art-making or art idea”.In his exhibition, running until April 7, Dr She said he wants to “create the first AI horse painting (in Qatar and the region) to fill up the missing puzzle in the art history for AI technology”.The artist said he will have another collection soon, produced with a local artist, and has “more flavour together with the Qatari culture”. Dr She, in partnership with QM, will also hold a virtual AI art-making workshop scheduled on March 21 and 22, aimed at introducing art enthusiasts to an array of AI technologies and tools for art creation such as StyleGAN, Dall-E, RunwayML and wuji. He will also discuss the recent history and trends of AI and art.The associate professor’s team from the College of Science and Engineering is currently active on content creation, understanding and interactions for art, cultural and creative media using AI.