When asked about her current relationship with artificial intelligence and whether she remains fascinated or perhaps frightened by the technology, contemporary artist Hito Steyerl delivered a characteristically surprising response at a recent event. "Mostly, it bores me," she said, capturing the unexpected tone that defined the entire evening.
Since 1990, the Süddeutsche Zeitung magazine has published an annual special issue called Edition 46, dedicating each volume to a single artist and the works they create specifically for the occasion. This year's edition features Steyerl, one of the most significant contemporary artists working today, who used artificial intelligence to create exclusive pieces for the publication.
For her contribution to this year's Edition 46, the Munich-born artist, who was born in 1966, fed fragments of her research about the Donaumoos region in the 18th century into an AI image generator. This area holds particular significance as it's where some of her ancestors originated. The resulting artworks transport both knowledge and technology while depicting bizarrely composed beings that appear human-like, sometimes mutated into machines, but often maintaining strong connections to the past.
During the magazine presentation at the Lenbachhaus before hundreds of guests, Steyerl explained that getting desired results from AI requires such precise instructions that "accounting-like" preparatory work becomes essential. She noted that the way she had been able to play with the AI program she used would likely not be possible much longer. Artificial intelligence learns quickly, and future program versions will probably not be so easily manipulated.
For her next artistic project, Steyerl is already moving on to another future-oriented theme: exploring how quantum technology might influence art. The central question that repeatedly emerged during her conversation with magazine editor Mareike Nieberding was: What does technology do to humans? When asked whether humans train machines or machines train humans, Steyerl firmly believes it's the latter – and not for the first time. She argued that cars and other machines have already shaped human behavior to serve their purposes.
Steyerl's impressive credentials include being named the most influential figure in the international art world by the British art magazine Art Review in 2017, making her the first woman to receive this distinction. This recognition is particularly remarkable for someone who describes herself as a "failed filmmaker" because she didn't continue the series of documentary films she started in the 1990s.
The artist also declined the Federal Cross of Merit she was supposed to receive as the COVID-19 pandemic's terror began to subside. "Honestly, what's the point?" she recalled asking herself on stage, wondering what she had to do with the Federal President. She titled the series created for the SZ Magazine "Bavarian High-Tech," noting that as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, she is essentially part of Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder's high-tech agenda.
The evening provided a rare opportunity to get to know Steyerl in a broader context, making one thing clear: politics and humor shape not only her art but also her entire approach to contemporary issues and technology.
