Art museums play an important role in the selection of cultural artefacts, which are to be presented and preserved as part of the cultural continuity. They also have the burden of deciding which artworks to include into their permanent collection, heavily increasing the potential of the work to become part of the artistic canon later. Furthermore, they have the responsibility to reflect on emerging artistic directions, their effect on our society and on the way, they are shaping it – including emerging technologies and new mediums.

However, their process of evaluating and assessing artworks created with AI assisted programs would require a re-evaluation of the traditional expectations regarding authorship, the cultural value of an artwork and the definition of authenticity, as the creative process varies significantly from other means of artistic creations. The re-evaluation of these historic standards would require a deeper understanding of the origins of these qualities and the items/concepts they were attached to and a critical reflection on how these different elements evolved with the implementation of new technology.

Therefore, I would like to research the perception of AI generated artworks from the perspective of contemporary art museums, their assessment of their potential to join the artistic canon and the evaluation and selection process of such works, unboxing the “black box” of the creative process of AI art and the selection process of art in art museums. However, I intend to view the museum as a complex cultural ecology, that operates on several different levels, from directors to curators, through staff and visitors. These different layers hold an important – though often obscured – role in the mediation of cultural heritage, and this research reflects on their collective understanding of the cultural value of AI art.

1^st Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Alain Müller
2^nd Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal

“I am a dedicated researcher with a social scientist’s mind to listen deeply and a designer’s will to solve problems creatively.”

Hanna Sipos is an interdisciplinary researcher combining expertise in cultural anthropology, scenography, and design. With a strong academic foundation, she is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Basel, focusing on the intersection of cultural artifacts and AI, particularly their preservation and evolving relevance. Hanna brings five years of professional experience in Interior Architecture from the UK, and a master’s degree in Scenography and Exhibition Design from Switzerland. She is an avid reader and a proud guardian of her dog.

• AI Art
• Museum preservation
• Value/ Valuation
• Critical AI Studies
• Enchantment of Technology
• Authenticity/ Authorship

University of Basel Graduate School of Social Science Start-Up Grant 2024-2025

metaLAB (at) Harvard/ Basel