As the boundaries between AI and art become increasingly blurred, some artists see the technology not only as a tool but also as a collaborative partner. Two artists featured in TIME’s 2025 TIME100 AI Impact Awards, Refik Anadol and Sougwen Chung, are among the most advanced explorers of AI’s potential in the art world. Both Anadol’s data-driven artistic approach and Chung’s way of physically experiencing the interaction between man and machine are shaping the future of art.
Refik Anadol The Artist Who Transforms Data into Dreams
Refik Anadol is an artist internationally known for his data visualization, artificial intelligence and public art projects. Using AI technology to create large-scale installations, Anadol is known for his works that have been exhibited in major venues such as MoMA, Serpentine Galleries, and Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló. One of his most notable projects, Unsupervised, relied on an artificial intelligence model fed by MoMA’s public archives to produce digital forms that reimagine 200 years of art history. This work represents a first in art history as the first generative AI work to be accepted into MoMA’s collection.
Another groundbreaking project by Anadol was the transformation of the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere into a gigantic data sculpture in 2023. This dynamic work, created with massive data from nature and space images, is considered one of the most advanced examples of the relationship between artificial intelligence and visual arts. Dataland, one of the artist’s biggest dreams, will open in Los Angeles and serve as the first museum of artificial intelligence art.
Exploring the Dialogue Between Man and Machine Through Art
Sougwen Chung is one of the pioneering artists creating paintings and installations with AI-powered robots. Unlike popular AI imaging tools such as Midjourney or DALL-E, Chung combines his own art practice with machine learning, allowing robots to recreate his brushstrokes. In the process, the AI systems learn from the artist’s past works to create new and unexpected forms, and Chung’s intervention continues at every stage of this interactive process.
One of the artist’s biggest motivations is to explore how artificial intelligence transforms the artistic process and how it can contribute to human creation. Not only art, but also technology and philosophy are intertwined in Chung’s work. His understanding of art is based on the idea that AI can expand human perception and bring a new dimension to the creative process of artists. In addition, his questioning of how artificial intelligence can offer a solution to global problems such as climate change runs parallel to his work.
How Artificial Intelligence Transforms Art
Refik Anadol and Sougwen Chung’s understanding of art shows that artificial intelligence can be seen as a partner, not just a tool. Anadol proves that machines can ‘dream’ through data sets and transforms the public art space with artificial intelligence. Chung, on the other hand, blurs the boundaries between human and machine, revealing that the creative process can turn into a collective experience
