Welcome to AI book reviews, a series of posts that explore the latest literature on artificial intelligence.

Will machines ever be able to replace or replicate human creativity? That is a question that we repeatedly ask ourselves as we continue to innovate and invent new creative tools. The printing press, the gramophone, the camera, the camcorder, the typewriter, the synthesizer, word processors, photo editing software, and many other tools we have invented over the past centuries have brought fundamental changes to creativity and arts.

But what has remained constant throughout history is the human element. Though affected by those inventions, human thought has remained central to creativity.

Will that change with artificial intelligence? I think not.

It was with that mindset that I picked up Arthur I. Miller’s new book The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity. And while I can’t say that the book changed my mind—and I don’t think Miller’s goal is to assert that AI will replace human creativity—I have come to better appreciate the changes that AI is bringing to our creative arts.

The role of artificial intelligenc_The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity, by Arthur I. Miller_

The interest in using AI algorithms to create works of art is not new. It dates back to decades ago. But recent advances in neural networks and deep learning has spurred innovation and activity in the field. In The Artist in the Machine, Miller has done a great job of taking stock of dozens of projects and initiatives that explore the use of different AI technologies in creating visual arts, music, and poems and stories.

He also interviews many people who are at the forefront of creative AI (several of whom I’ve had the pleasure to speak to in the past few years).

While the list is too comprehensive to cover all of it here, but here are some of the key advances spurred by AI and the implications they have for creativity.

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