Artistic Intelligence Newsletter – April 2026
Artistic Intelligence: Responsiveness, Accessibility, Responsibility, Equity - ARTinRARE (CA23158)
Recap of the Second General Meeting 26 and 27 February 2026 - Pontevedra
On 26 and 27 February 2026, members of the Artistic Intelligence COST Action gathered in Pontevedra, Spain for the network’s second General Meeting. Hosted by the University of Vigo, the event brought together researchers, artists, technologists, and cultural practitioners from across Europe to explore how artistic research can engage critically and constructively with artificial intelligence at a time when it is becoming an increasingly present element within creative and cultural practices.
Rather than functioning as a conventional conference, the meeting was intended as a space for exchange across practices, disciplines, and institutional contexts. The programme combined keynote reflections, experimental discussion formats, and working sessions aimed at strengthening collaboration within the network.
The first day took place at the Faculty of Fine Arts and later continued at Casa das Campás in the historic centre of Pontevedra. The meeting opened with welcome remarks from representatives of the University of Vigo, including Vice-Rector Eva María Lantarón Caeiro, Dean Xosé Manuel Buxán Bran, and Holga Méndez Fernández from the Faculty of Fine Arts. Their introduction emphasised the role of artistic research within broader conversations about technological transformation and the cultural implications of AI.
Michael Schwab, founding editor-in-chief of the Journal for Artistic Research delivered the keynote ‘Local, Polylocal,’, which introduced the concept of polylocality as a way of approaching artistic intelligence. Rather than treating intelligence as a singular technological capability, the talk proposed that artistic research operates through networks of contexts, practices, and locations. Knowledge emerges through relationships between different sites of inquiry and artistic production. The keynote was followed by an open discussion that continued many of the themes raised during the talk.
The keynote was then followed by Unmeeting sessions that encouraged more participatory exchanges and created space for discussion and collaborative reflection beyond the traditional conference format.
The first session was Distributed Hyperlocality, led by Marika Grasso and Marta Pérez-Campos, and the second session was a live performance titled Can a Dataset be an Artefact? Disrupting the “Boring1” Logic of AI Training with “Dataset Albums” by Majella Clarke.
In the afternoon, the programme continued at Casa das Campás with a series of Cross Dialogues that brought together perspectives from across the Action’s working groups. These conversations reflected the interdisciplinary character of the network and highlighted different ways of approaching the topic of artistic intelligence.
Lucas Evers discussed the role of collaborations between art, science, and technology in shaping emerging innovation cultures and definitions of research. Eiríkur Smári Sigurdarson presented work analysing the societal impact of artistic research using data from the Research Catalogue.
Other contributions approached the topic from more practice-based perspectives. Holga Méndez Fernández and Belén Díez Atienza introduced their project Geografía Poética (Poetic Geography). Yanai Toister presented ideas connected to polylocal vision and distributed forms of perception within contemporary networked culture.
Questions about institutions and education also formed part of the discussions. Martynas Petrikas examined how art schools are responding to the rapid development of AI technologies and the regulatory challenges surrounding them. Zoi Efstathiou explored how generative AI systems may lead to new forms of aesthetic negotiation within artistic practice.
The first day concluded with a live performance by Xurxo Estévez on double bass and Sunil López on piano at the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The second day focused primarily on internal working sessions within the network. Working groups shared updates on ongoing activities, discussed future initiatives, and developed plans for collaboration across the Action. The meeting concluded with presentations by Working Group 1 Leader (Adaptation Strategies) Catherine Mulligan and Working Group 4 Vice Leader (Policy-making) Jostein Gundersen.
In her talk, Catherine Mulligan addressed the regulatory landscape surrounding artificial intelligence and its implications for artistic practice. The talk outlined how multiple layers of governance, including EU frameworks, copyright and data regimes, funding structures, and institutional policies, shape the conditions under which artistic AI projects are developed. These overlapping systems influence access to tools, the use of datasets, and the administrative requirements attached to research and cultural production.
She also shared the Polylocal Poem Machine which she built overnight in Pontevedra as a response to some of the conversations and talks at the General Meeting.
Jostein Gundersen shared how Working Group 4 has organised its activities into several thematic strands, each coordinated by members of the working group. This structure is intended to support collaboration across different areas of research while allowing specific topics to develop more focused initiatives. As part of this work, he also introduced a survey on AI, artistic research, and creative practices. The survey aims to gather insights from artists and researchers across the network, helping to map current practices, challenges, and emerging questions surrounding the use of AI in artistic research.
The conversations initiated during these two days now move forward into the next phases of the Action, informing future workshops, publications, and collaborations across the network.
Updates from Working Group 1 - Adaptation Strategies
Summary from WG1 Meeting in Pontevedra, by Catherine Mulligan
I’m really grateful for the thoughtful and engaging presentations that were shared in WG1 – Adaptation Strategies at the Artistic Intelligence - ARTinRARE 2nd General Meeting (Pontevedra, 26–27 February 2026). The session brought together a rich range of case studies and methodological reflections that really helped articulate how artistic and practice-based engagements are evolving in response to AI-related technologies and the shifting creative landscape. In addition, Majella Clarke performed her fantastic interplay between music, conducting and technology. Quite an inspirational session!
WG1 opened with explorations of situated artistic practices – from cultural heritage and footwear design to fashion and architectural workflows with presentations from Zeynep Mehlika ULUÇAM KIRBAĞ Amine HAJ TAIEB Peter Bannister, Martynas Petrikas and Aleksandar Petrovski, each offering nuanced ways of thinking about adaptation that move beyond tool-centric approaches. The fragility and mutuality of creative processes, so eloquently discussed, resonated deeply as a reminder of how human-machine interplay is negotiated in practice.
Contributions in the afternoon session, including online engagements and mapping initiatives, broadened our lens further. Presentations on “Can AI Remember My Memories?” and institutional AI practices mapping highlighted the diversity of adaptation strategies across different contexts, and underscored the need for comparative, cross-sectoral insight as we build shared frameworks for understanding AI’s role in creative research and cultural production. Many thanks to Itziar Vidorreta Seran Demiral Ellen Pearlman and Andrew Perkis for a really interesting session.
More broadly, as always I am challenged to think deeper with the discussions I have as WG1 Lead for the COST Action. From my perspective, the discussions in WG1 have helped crystallise how urgently we need to think about adaptation not just in artistic practice but across education systems. The themes emerging here – experimentation, reflexivity, and hybrid practice – have direct relevance for how educators and institutions respond to AI in education more broadly. These insights are valuable far beyond the arts, surfacing questions about pedagogy, agency, and the cultivation of resilient and creative learners in an AI-infused world.
I’m looking forward to deeper conversations with the wider group as we continue to develop these two emerging thematic strands in WG1 and build bridges with related fields like AI in Education. There’s a real opportunity here to shape both artistic and educational responses to the profound shifts we are all navigating.
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Responses to Doubt in Artistic Authorship
At the Pontevedra meeting, WG1 launched a new workstream led by Vice-Leader Peter Bannister, exploring how we verify who made what in the age of AI, and what that means for artists, policy, and culture, a question that affects everyone from emerging artists to major cultural institutions.
Three projects are in development: a policy brief for EU decision-makers, a major European funding application, and a TV drama treatment exploring what it means to be believed in a world where authenticity is increasingly hard to prove.
Colleagues interested in getting involved can contact: peter.bannister@unir.net
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Pilot the Institutional Mapping and Positioning Framework
WG1 is looking for volunteers from the network to pilot a new Institutional Mapping and Positioning Framework (Version 1.0) designed to help institutions reflect on their commitment, governance structures, and attitudes toward AI in artistic research. The framework can be used to support strategic discussions, internal reflection, or consultative processes within institutions. While it includes components focused on AI, these can be adapted or omitted, allowing the framework to also support broader institutional strategy around artistic research.
As this is a first version, feedback from pilot users will play an important role in refining the framework and exploring its potential contribution to the Artistic Intelligence Toolkit.
If you are interested in testing the framework within your institution, we would be very happy to hear from you.
Please contact majella.clarke@sae.edu.au to express your interest or to request more information.
Updates from Working Group 2 - Collective Intelligences
Summary from WG2 Meeting in Pontevedra
At the February General Meeting in Pontevedra, WG2 convened a workshop structured as a direct response to Michael Schwab’s keynote, proposing polylocality as a foundation for understanding artistic intelligence. The workshop took this as its central provocation and produced a verb-based vocabulary (listening, commoning, improvising, resisting, tracing…) articulating what artistic practice uniquely contributes to collective intelligence — an approach that will feed directly into the Artistic Intelligence Reference Framework (D6).
Following Pontevedra, WG2 has initiated a series of online working meetings, beginning with a session continuing the work on Verbing Polylocality. This includes building a practice based group project on Research Catalogue.
Further meetings are planned to provide members with regular space to connect and develop shared inquiry.
Proposals for other structured sessions are warmly welcomed — please reach out to the WG2 chairs if you have ideas to bring forward.
The Young and Early Career Researcher initiative
We are pleased to invite for a first online meeting for members of the network who are either Young Researchers, Innovators or Early Career Researchers on April 17, at 11:00 - 12:00 CET.
The purpose of this meeting is to share information about the new initiative and create an opportunity for YECR members to connect across working groups.
Further details can be found here: https://artisticintelligence.info/events/young-and-early-career-researchers-innovators-yecr-1st-meeting
For more information about the initiative, go here: https://artisticintelligence.info/yecr-team
Call for Conference Grants and STSMs — Open April 7 to May 10, 2026
Types of activities to be funded:
- Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)
- Conference Grants
- ITC Conference Grants
- YRI Conference Grants
- Virtual Mobility Grants
When the calls are open for submissions, you will find more information and guidelines here: https://artisticintelligence.info/news/2026-04/2026-call-conference-grants-and-stsms
The call will also be shared with participants via eCost.
This newsletter is based upon work from COST Action CA23158 Artistic Intelligence, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.
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