Victoria Munn and Erin Griffey’s presentation on the use of databases to aid research merged two of my interests: Computer Science and the Arts. One of the areas I’m most interested in is computer vision and machine learning. Unlike other areas of computer science, machine learning is equal parts art and science. It takes constant adjustment, critical thinking and problem solving, as well as an intimate knowledge of your desired outcome. Essentially, machine learning is guiding a computer on a research journey.
Munn and Griffey’s presentation opened my eyes to the possibilities of merging machine learning with areas like Art History (in fact, while researching for this very post I found an article that does just that) Just as we look at the past through the lens of the present, computers can look at organic life through the eyes of the artificial, revealing new insights into what we value and who we are as a species. Machines can create connections we’ve never thought of, while also clarifying our own biases and preferences.
I firmly believe that placing a greater emphasis on creating databases as part of arts research will allow computers to aid humans in interpreting the world. Google’s ‘Deep Dream’ algorithms have recreated the experiences of hallucinogenic drugs using Google’s massive database of images. Perhaps by creating a detailed database of the past, we can recapture some of the culture and perspective of those who lived back then through computers. All we have to do is teach them how.
