The End of Humanity?

Written by Marissa BeatyPhotography by Noah Laroia-Nguyen The rise of artificial intelligence and the advancement of technology has left many worrying that the end is near, at least the end of a human-centered workforce. While these people fear that the human race will be doomed and subjugated to the desire of these increasingly complex AI systems (cue iRobot intro music), they are completely missing out on the incredible and extraordinary capabilities we now have due to these technologies, especially (and yes, I mean especially), in the world of art.  Example number one, and perhaps the most significant of developing technologies to the expansion of knowledge in the fields of humanities, is Google’s Arts and Culture App. This app, sponsored by the Google Cultural Institute, represents a direct relationship between the world of technology and the world of art.  In fact, the lead engineer, Amit Sood, worked closely with museums around the world to not only provide records of their works and their artists, but also to use the advanced technology available to recreate the museum, granting those who access the app the ability to walk through the Louvre or the Guggenheim right from their couch. Not only that, but the app has captured special curations. For example, the British Museum’s feature on the world of Harry Potter is not only available to read on the app, but the objects within the museum are also able to be viewed and explored through the interactive simulation of the exhibit. While this is already amazing in and of itself, since the app’s introduction, these museums have seen a dramatic increase in ticket sales and yearly visitors, showing that technology can be a powerful force in eliciting intrigue into the fields of the humanities.  In addition to this, and standing more academic on the scale of intrigue, technology has allowed historians to research and uncover information about art pieces and texts previously unattainable. For example, the introduction of X-Ray Fluorescence has allowed art historians to see beneath paintings.  That is, this technology uncovers what lies beneath layers of paint, sometimes revealing alternative drawings, position changes, or even the removal or addition of figures within an artwork. This grants the ability to understand the process of the artist, how it is they selected what to include, how they changed their mind, and how many attempts they took at getting it right. For paintings that already have already aged hundreds of years, such as  the Mona Lisa (which this technology shows originally was supposed to have her sitting with clenched hands), this is an incredibly useful ability to look into some of the greatest artistic minds the world has ever seen. Thus, despite its seemingly stark differences, the fields of engineering and science in conjunction with the humanities, allows us to bring together different world cultures and narratives, and to build upon previous knowledge to uncover the magnificence of the unknown.