Harold Cohen watching AARON paint

In the early 1970s, Professor Harold Cohen of the University of California San Diego developed one of the first early examples of AI trying its hand at something creative. AARON was an algorithm that could paint and draw on its own. At first, it could only do basic scribbling. But in the 1980s, it advanced to being able to draw and paint more sophisticated representational imagery that contained objects like rocks, plants and people. In the 1990s, those representational figures further improved, showing color, and then in the 2000’s AARON learned to create more sophisticated abstract color imagery.

Since then there have been numerous examples of smart machines trying their hand at creative tasks in fields such as graphic design, photography, film, art, and music. This is why I created the guides. Each one focuses in on a specific discipline that has seen notable examples of AI doing creative tasks. If you think there is a project I should include in any of the guides please let me know and I will add it in. My hope is that this section can grow over time, showcasing the most interesting creative AI work.