In 2022, the curation of the Bucharest Biennale will be entrusted to Jarvis, whom some might call a surprisingly robotic curator. With the support of Austrian studio Spinnwerk, Jarvis will use dense info databases to select the artists and works to be displayed in the virtual-reality exhibition space. It's an unexpected and truly historic concept, especially given that this will be the first major exhibit to be imagined entirely by artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, robotics is no new phenomenon in contemporary art. In 2018, Christie's organized an event in New York to auction The Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, entirely composed via algorithm, for $432,000. Indeed, these new kinds of ready-mades could make some major waves in the art world in the years to come. In 2019, Oxford University unveiled Ai-Da's impressive body of work — the first of its kind by an AI artist capable of representing what she sees. Contemporary art and cinema both have their eyes set on this new frontier.
For the first time, an AI system will also be playing a leading Hollywood role, one whose production costs are estimated at around $70 million. Designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kohei Ogawa, Erica's human-like appearance is enhanced by her ability to mimic human behavior. Simply called b, the film may be paving a new way for the industry.
As for music, robot YuMi impressed audiences by conducting Lucca's philharmonic orchestra and tenor soloist Andrea Bocelli to close the latest international robotics festival held in Pisa. At the beginning of the year, virtual pop star Hatsune Miku wowed concert goers at Paris' Zenith, filled for the occasion with dedicated cosplayers. Watch out for Robots!