A Connected Art World Works Both Ways

In the article, I mention my surprise at the relative sidelining of the otherwise plentiful discourse surrounding “AI” and am wondering if others noticed that as well? Anyone have any thoughts on why? It’s odd, if only because the Christie’s auction last year, Augmented Intelligence, had a plethora of artworks with associated smart contracts that were largely minimized in preference of highlighting “AI” and the two spheres of art and tech are not unrelated. Would be curious for input on the why the crypto art scene got more recognition at Basel, without nodding to the role of “AI” in some of the artists’ practices. To be clear, I don’t think they have to go together, at all, but it does seem as if there is a difficulty in discussing the two at the same time?

This is a really interesting observation @kentc ...My take is that crypto art has spent years building institutional legibility (provenance, scarcity, the smart contract as artistic material, etc.) and Basel knows how to absorb that language now. "AI" is so loaded right now that institutions seem almost allergic to it, or at least unsure how to deploy it without it becoming the only story.