The Parisian institution explores the links between art and artificial intelligence (AI) in its new exhibition, which claims to be the first of its kind in the world.
Artificial and digital intelligence is now taking over from the industrial era, seizing upon models where machine learning, algorithms, big data, data centers, and the coexistence of humans and robots are redefining sectors. This is particularly true of the art world, which is undergoing a profound transformation.
While AI theories have existed since the 1950s, this new combination, through deep learning, allows machines to learn on their own using a stream of data that generates syntheses. Crucially, the technology is becoming more accessible, giving everyone the opportunity to experiment with it.
By 2025, artificial intelligence continues to develop at breakneck speed, constantly provoking "astonishment, fear, enthusiasm, or skepticism." These feelings are fueled by the rapid advances of the American giant OpenAI (ChatGPT) and its Chinese competitor, DeepSeek. But France, which plans to invest over €100 billion through various investment funds, will also be a key player.
The Jeu de Paume is taking the lead by presenting works by creators from the fields of art, photography, cinema, sculpture and literature.
From analytical AI to generative AI
The exhibition is thus divided into two main segments. Curator Antonio Somaini, with his associates Ada Ackerman, Alexandre Gefen, Pia Viewing, explores in depth "analytical AI", which processes and organizes complex masses of data, and "generative AI", capable of producing new images, sounds and texts.
The first chapter showcases, among other things, the works of Julian Charrière. " Buried Sunshines Burn raises the question of the material resources needed by digital industries and their environmental impact, while Metamorphism stages the material dimension of digital technologies, too often presented as 'dematerialized', when in fact they depend on specific geological and physical phenomena ," explains the curatorial team.
The second section is devoted to artists who attempt to fill gaps in history (Egor Kraft, Alexia Achilleos, Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert), to question the biases of AI (Nora Al-Badri, Nouf Aljowaysir), or to write alternative histories (Grégory Chatonsky, Justine Emard, Gwenola Wagon). This section also explores the fields of film, literature, and music. The latter is notably illustrated by a segment of Christian Marclay's *The Organ* , in which a connected piano triggers video combinations on Snapchat.
Further on, the organizers are also interested in the links that can be established between words and images (Taller Estampa, Érik Bullot).
New paradigm
The Jeu de Paume thus examines artificial intelligence and art in the age of its revolution, transforming our visual relationship, notions of creativity, originality, and copyright. Through their works, artists experiment with new possible forms of expression, conceived and generated using AI, while also reflecting on the repercussions for art and society.
Time capsules, inspired by cabinets of curiosities, punctuate the exhibition. The curators' idea is to create a historical counterpoint. This includes "devices for automating calculation and production, the relationship between current computer vision systems and past attempts to automate visual perception, the origins of facial recognition systems and emotions, or the genealogy of prompts."
This first major exhibition thus shows how this new technology manages to completely redefine the boundaries of art, while questioning social, political and environmental issues.
"The world according to AI"
Jeu de Paume
1, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Garden, Paris 8th
From April 11 to September 21, 2025
