Over the years, In4Art has been involved in over twenty projects where AI was built, broken or adapted. Working with so many different forms of AI led to the realization that AI is much more diverse than often perceived or understood.

To understand it, we introduce the idea of AI species. Taken from the natural world, species are a way to group diverse entities while still acknowledging their unique differences.

Like a biologist exploring a new ecosystem, we classified six AI species and show how they influence our lives and work. How we can understand, explore and coexist with them. Most simply call them ‘AI’, and by doing so, we do them and ourselves a disservice.

By understanding which AI species exist, we can make better choices about which are valuable for our purposes. The tidal wave of new intelligence coming our way is neither inherently good nor bad, but it’s not neutral either.
Only by understanding these AI species can we learn how to coexist with them. And we need to, since they are all around us.

AI is already interwoven throughout our lives. Yet we still know little about it, and we act as if all AIs are the same. But lumping them all together is like comparing elephants, crocodiles, and ostriches.

Just as different animal species in nature fulfil their own roles, AI species also have their own specialisations. Some are visible, others operate in the background, and all are powerful: they can be disruptive if we do not interact with them consciously, but they can also enrich our lives and become increasingly interwoven with them.

The book “Co-existing with AI” takes you on an expedition through six different AI species in their natural habitats; from your pocket, through your car, to the workplace. Last expidition looks at the physical presence of these digital species in our world. Only by understanding these new digital species can we learn to live and collaborate with them better. Because one thing is certain: they are here to stay.

BOT uitgevers