Ars gratia retium: Understanding How Artificial Neural Networks Learn To Emulate Art

Chapter of a book "Algorithmic and Aesthetic Literacy Matter" by Lydia Schulze Heuling (Bergen, Norway) and Christian Fink (Flensburg, Germany). Discusses the process of generating art through artificial neural networks on a high level with an intended audience of teachers and teacher-training institutions. The context is the connection between algorithmic and aesthetic literacy. Contains a high-level introduction of artificial neural networks with some historical perspective, an exposition of the relationship of computer algorithms and aesthetic expression especially where used in teaching programming, and an overview of DeepDream and Generative Neural Networks with some examples. It ends with a discussion of uses of generative neural networks as artistic tools and their perspective in education.

• Education Innovation

• Machine Intelligence