• by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, Today

Many years ago, I went to the Whitney with my younger son. It was the Whitney Biennial, and it was an exhibit of the current state of modern art. I remember one piece, a beaten-up metal garbage can with rubbish pouring out of it. My son looked at it quizzically and asked, "Is this art?" I had no easy answer, but I remember thinking that I loved the Whitney and presumed that they had put together a stellar group of curators to curate the exhibit. The Whitney was a container, and inside of it was a collective of smart people with limited space. Was it “art”? It was what the Whitney could fit inside its frame.

Last week I spent a day with the Aspen Institute at an event called “Shared Futures.”

While lots of people are posting and blogging about AI's impending danger and how it replaces human creativity with AI-produced slop, Aspen Digital chose to lean into the connection between AI and creativity. It was, in turns, wonderful and troubling.

The hosts were Vivian Schiller, the executive director of Aspen Digital, and Vilas Dhar, president of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.

Aspen described the event like this: "From the printing press to the internet, transformative technologies were built by engineers but brought to life by artists. Today, AI is introducing a new canvas for creators."

Sitting in the audience at the Times Center, I flashed back to the Whitney and my son's question about the garbage can.

Some of the presenters were, for me, gripping and magical.

Two in particular struck me as the ends of a spectrum.

Comedian and actor Reggie Watts presented an improvised performance using AI as a live instrument.

Reggie Watts transformed a policy conference discussion about artificial intelligence into an improvised musical exploration of technology and creativity. Using live looping, vocal effects, and spontaneous composition, Watts blended comedy, social commentary, and musical experimentation into a set that was equal parts concert, satire, and thought experiment.

"Artificial intelligence is never going to be creative. It's an enhancement to our creativity itself." said Watts.

Throughout the performance, Watts challenged the audience to think differently about AI, preferring the term "extended intelligence" over "artificial intelligence." His songs wandered from playful observations about laptops, phones, and digital assistants to deeper reflections on creativity, surveillance, human agency and technological change. The result was a uniquely human performance that highlighted both the possibilities and limitations of A,I while reminding the audience that creativity ultimately emerges from lived experience and individual perspective.

Then, in a very different take, there was AI filmmaker and comedian King Willonius, with a session called "Let's Make a Song Together.”

Willonius defined himself as a "curious doer," advocating for a mindset of continual experimentation and fun rather than passive consumption. He led the audience in a collaborative songwriting session with software called Suno. The performance culminated in a live, AI-generated musical piece.

For me Watts was spectacular, while the Suno song felt derivative -- but maybe that's the point. AI is a creative tool, and different artists will use it in different ways. Some will resonate for me, others not.

But overall, we won't understand the complexity if we don't lean in and try. Kudos to Aspen and McGovern for providing a day to explore the future.

All the presentations are up on YouTube here.