Despite how far we have come, when it comes to technology there are still many barriers to break when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and the limits of what we are able to teach machines.

One man trying to smash right through all the artificial intelligence glass ceilings is local computer scientist extraordinaire, entrepreneur and all-round creative genius, Angelo Dalli. Meeting between one Malta artificial intelligence and blockchain summit lecture and another, he told me all about one of his latest projects and how artificial intelligence is no longer something relegated to the pages of science fiction but a beautiful medium which is poised to change the face of the art world as we know it.

“I attained my degree in artificial intelligence over two decades ago and it’s taken around that amount of time for there to be enough technological advances to sustain AI and be able to give it the framework it needs. When I founded my company Umnai which is my ninth start-up, I did so with the intention of dedicating myself to it completely.

“We started the artificial intelligence art journey last year where we were able to take a local artist’s style and basically input it into an AI machine which in turn generated pictures. We were very fortunate to get renowned local artist Mark Mallia on board and he very patiently allowed the nuances of his style to be collected and used by a machine built for this purpose. It was thanks to him that UMA (the Universal Machine Artist) was born.”

We can’t wait to see what the future will bring

Describing the initiative as creativity hand in hand with innovation, Dalli’s intention was to teach the machine and then allow it free rein to create as if it were a real person: “The process is all about how the machine will generate a painting; yes, it has a style inputted into it, but the system itself is built to act somewhat independently. The system also criticises and works with the information it is given. We had model Tiffany Pisani pose like a tree and the machine created a piece where we see a forest of imaginary trees as Tiffany. Once a picture has been generated, Mark puts the final finishing touches to it.”

While some may think otherwise, the paintings are far from random offerings: “We wanted the machine to create original, unique art. Through the machine, we created imaginary worlds. We have always seen nature being inspired and acted on by humans and, in fact, it is humans who have played a massive part in raping and destroying it. We wanted the pictures to have a nice background on purpose because we wanted to show how artificial intelligence generated beauty and how people have destroyed it.”

So universal are the pieces made by AI that they left our shores and were shown in Paris at the beginning of June: “We are always excited by the reception that these abstract pieces get because, at the end of the day, our goal is for AI to be seen as an outsider artist who is creating contemporary art. The first two artworks made by UMA were auctioned off late last year for considerable sums and the proceeds all went to charity. There is inevitably a lot of debate by people asking if this can be considered art or not considering the fact that a machine is producing it, but on the other hand, I will never forget Mark Mallia’s words to me when he told me that AI had managed to capture his very soul.”

While I myself question my own comfort with a machine which is able to take aspects of your personality and turn them into something completely new and unique, Dalli is positively beaming with all the prospects he sees opening up before him.

“This machine is literally generating its very own world. At first, Mark was in complete control of what he taught it and what it learnt and what it didn’t, but now he is absolutely not and we are all surprised and intrigued by what is being produced. Creating a new painting is something of an adventure every time because not only is it interesting but the results are always completely unpredictable. It’s an intriguing way of viewing creativity and raises an avalanche of questions. What remains a thing of beauty to me is the way we were able to give UMA life, not only was Mark able to teach the machine something it didn’t know but in many ways, he has become a co-parent of it. We can’t wait to see what the future will bring!”