At Art Basel in Basel 2023, BMW is showing “The Electric AI Canvas”, an installation inspired by the new BMW i5. A unique combination of art and technology uses AI to be responsible for a great art experience.

Munich/Basel. At the Art Basel event in Basel 2023, BMW presents “The Electric AI Canvas” – an extension of the conceptual work “The Ultimate AI Masterpiece”. For the first time ever, the all-electric BMW i5 becomes a flexible canvas for production art featuring the works of contemporary artists. Esther Mahlangu, Kohei Nawa, Eric N Mack, Koo Jiyoon and Bin Woo Hyuk and thus an interesting experience of physical art. “The Electric AI Canvas” will be exhibited from 12 to 18 June 2023 at Art Basel in Basel, the world’s leading art fair for modern and contemporary art. As an international partner of Art Basel, BMW is once again offering a VIP transportation service this year.

In collaboration with the Creative Technology Specialist Nathan Shipley (Goodbye, Silverstein & Associates) and Gary Yeah (ArtDrunk) generated artificial intelligence animations are created using AI models based on a dataset curated by famous contemporary artists. These AI models are based on a “Base Model” that has been trained on over 50,000 images from 900 years of art history. The AI ​​creates completely new abstract animations that are created from learned styles of modern and contemporary art and projected onto the BMW i5.

“BMW is a pioneer when it comes to innovative technology and design in the development of modern vehicles. The real and physical worlds collide in ‘The Electric AI Canvas’, with the integration of human senses and artificial intelligence as a tool to create new functions for art can be found,” he explains.
Paul de CourtoisPresident & CEO BMW (Switzerland) AG.

A loud voice Gary Yeah “This is a great time to build on our previous collaboration between art and AI, which was always intended to be a personal experience. This integration can now reveal its full potential and offer visitors to art exhibitions a unique opportunity to enjoy digital art for close – a way that often seems disconnected from the physical world. The artists we invite are at the forefront of the contemporary art world, representing a variety of international perspectives that they bring to their unique activities with materials and culture. As animation progresses of your eyes, we want to take you on a journey through the different worlds of artists and how they reflect the fabric of our society. Past, present and future.”

With “The Electric AI Canvas”, Nvidia’s AI architecture StyleGAN has been trained to map different art movements and generate abstract, dynamic animations from them. After the basic style is taught about the representation of art in general, StyleGAN receives more information about the works of the participating contemporary artists. “We wanted to know what happens when an AI image generation model meets the work of specific artists. How do the results change when the parameters of the algorithm are changed, and how can we use them to create animations that evoke the essential emotions of a particular artist’s work? Nathan Shipley. “We see experiments like this as part of an interesting discourse on the possibilities of using AI in art.”

The newly created animation is now being shown for the first time as an art experience on the website. They are displayed on the BMW i5 and reflect the style and beauty of individual artists. Animations are enhanced and mirrored by mirrors, allowing the viewer to fully immerse themselves in the experience.

Since its digital debut in 2020, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has sparked debates in the art scene, raising questions of ethics, creativity and authenticity. For Shipley and Yeh, using AI in art is about how technology can empower artists and complement rather than replace their artistic vision. “It’s important that we be responsible, thoughtful, and human-centered in our AI experiments,” Shipley said.

This art architecture between man and machine provides a unique fusion of innovation and creativity. BMW thus continues its conversation about technology and art in the age of AI. More than visual art, The Electric AI Canvas represents BMW’s commitment to human-centered technology and sustainability, as well as exploring the potential of AI as a creative tool.

New BMW 5 series – the world’s most successful business sedan – is digital, adaptive and now fully electric with the BMW i5. Impressive elegance, comfort and superior connectivity come together in the new BMW 5 Series. Like no other model, it stands for freedom, capability and progressive thinking.

The Arts Basel brings together 284 international galleries leading up to its 2023 edition in Basel, showcasing high-quality artworks in all media – from painting and sculpture to photography and digital works – by artists ranging from the pioneers of early modernism twentieth century to contemporary artists are enough. A strong line-up of European galleries will be supported by new and returning exhibitors from around the world.

BMW i5 eDrive40*:

Combined consumption according to WLTP: 18.9 – 15.9 kWh/100 km,

Distance according to WLTP: 497 – 582 km

BMW i5 M60 xDrive*:

Combined consumption according to WLTP: 20.6 – 18.2 kWh/100 km,

Distance: 455 – 516 km according to WLTP

*All mileage, fuel consumption and emissions figures are provisional.