To celebrate innovative contributions at the intersection of visual arts and cutting-edge technology, the inaugural Human AI Art Award has been awarded to Lauren Lee McCarthy from the United States. Deutsche Telekom also introduces the Human AI Art Space in front of Kunstmuseum Bonn.
Deutsche Telekom and Kunstmuseum Bonn have jointly launched the Human AI Art Award, an annual prize that recognizes artists who are pioneering at the crossroads of visual arts and cutting-edge technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. The inaugural award will be presented to American artist Lauren Lee McCarthy on November 17, 2024, for her work “LAUREN.” This accolade includes a cash prize of 10,000 euros and will feature a two-month exhibition at Kunstmuseum Bonn, showcasing a site-specific adaptation of her work titled “LAUREN: Anyone home?”
“I’m deeply honored to receive this award, which highlights the human aspects of AI’s impact,” says Lauren Lee McCarthy. “Technology is not just about functionality—our interactions with algorithms shape how we interact with each other. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to create a new piece in the LAUREN series for Kunstmuseum Bonn that explores these themes.”
The award-winning work “LAUREN” involved McCarthy observing volunteer participants over a week using a network of remote-controlled cameras, microphones, speakers, and other electronic devices. From her base in Los Angeles, she interacted with them as a virtual personal assistant, stepping into their lives by making comments, offering suggestions, and controlling the environment, such as lighting. Her goal was to be a more human personal assistant—one that anticipates needs and responds to individuals with humor and empathy. However, she also became a constant observer, intruding into their personal lives. This material was then used to create a documentary video, which will be presented in an installation specifically redesigned for the Human AI Art Space. The site-specific artwork “LAUREN: Anyone home?” powerfully explores the tension between trust, simplicity, doubt, and curiosity in our interactions with AI technologies.
“New technologies are an integral part of our society, shaping our lives and the way we coexist,” says Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges. “Engaging with artificial intelligence is therefore a central focus for Deutsche Telekom. Artistic exploration of AI can reveal new perspectives on the societal changes brought about by these technologies, helping to alleviate fears and highlight the opportunities.”
Prof. Dr. Stephan Berg, Director of Kunstmuseum Bonn, adds, “As a museum primarily concerned with the realities that images create, engaging with both the possibilities and the critical aspects of AI is particularly compelling for us. We are excited to partner with Deutsche Telekom to provide a broad audience with insights into the fascinating intersection of advanced technologies and artistic practice through the first Human AI Art Award.”
The exhibition of the winning work will open at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 17, 2024, in a specially designed Human AI Art Space in front of Kunstmuseum Bonn. Lauren Lee McCarthy will attend the awards ceremony and the exhibition opening, where she will personally activate her work as part of a performance. Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with the “human voice assistant,” becoming an integral part of the installation.
Lauren Lee McCarthy, born in Boston in 1987 and now based in Los Angeles, studied Computer Science, Art, and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and earned an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she currently teaches as a Professor of Design Media Arts. For more information about the artist, visit www.lauren-mccarthy.com, and for details about the exhibition, visit www.kunstmuseum-bonn.de.
A groundbreaking, forward-looking project
A nomination panel proposed 30 international artists for the first edition of the Human AI Art Award 2024, 23 of which subsequently submitted applications. Lauren Lee McCarthy was nominated by Katerina Gregos, Director of the National Museum for Contemporary Art (EMST) in Athens, Greece. A panel of judges consisting of eminent persons in the international art scene then selected the winner from the submitted applications. The key factor in their decision was the groundbreaking, forward-looking nature of Lauren Lee McCarthy’s work, which encourages the audience to take a critical look at their relationship with technology. It motivates people to be wary, aware, attentive, and self-reflective when it comes to living their lives in a society determined by algorithms.
The judges for the first Human AI Art Award 2024: Ed Atkins (artist), Prof. Dr. Stephan Berg (Director, Kunstmuseum Bonn), Prof. Sarah Cook (Professor of Museum Studies, Information Studies at the University of Glasgow), Guillaume Désanges (Director, Palais de Tokyo, Paris), and Antje Hundhausen (Vice President for Brand Experience, Deutsche Telekom).
The nomination panel for the first Human AI Art Award 2024: Marcello Dantas (Director, SFER IK, Tulum, Mexico), Prof. Simon Denny (artist, Professor for time-related Media, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Hamburg), Prof. Nina Fischer (Professor for Media Art, UdK, Berlin), Katerina Gregos (Director, EMST, National Museum for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece), Alistair Hudson (Director, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe), Dr. Sara Morais dos Santos Bruss (Curator, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin), Dr. Catherine Nichols (Curator, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin), Hannah Redler Hawes (Curator), Dr. Marlene Wenger (Curator, House of Electronic Arts, Basel, Switzerland), and Christoph Wiesner (Director, Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France).
