AI Art Challenge

The AI 'Art' Challenge offers students the opportunity to create visual or audio-visual 'art' using one or several AI tools to assist in developing a visual representation or message. This is a dynamic, disruptive, challenging and controversial space - the very nature of art may even be the focus of your artefact. Whether you are familiar with AI or new to it, this competition allows you to experiment with how technology and creativity intersect. You are welcome to submit an artefact that is either partially or entirely generated by AI, however an element of user and AI collaboration must be present in any work submitted.

We are looking for innovative and thought-provoking pieces that explore the role AI plays in shaping the world around us reflecting on the central theme of AI and responsible use.

• What does responsible (or irresponsible AI) use look like in today’s world?
• How can AI shape the future for the better, and what are the potential risks?
• Identity and belonging in the age of AI:
  • Who is included and who is excluded in images generated by AI?
  • What is the relationship between human and technology?
  • What does the responsible use of AI owe to humanity and vice versa?
  • Can AI facilitate drives towards decolonisation?
• AI and Education:
  • What role does AI play in our seminar rooms, lecture halls and libraries?
  • How has AI impacted your experience of education so far?
• AI and the Student Experience:
  • How does AI inform your sense of what it means to be a student both on campus and in today’s world?
  • What role do algorithms play in your everyday - from Spotify playlists to TikTok recommendations of where to study?
• AI and Sustainability:
  • How can we imagine a sustainable future of AI?
  • How can AI improve the future of sustainability?
• AI and Creativity:
  • How does AI challenge the role of traditional art?
  • What can AI teach us about what it means to be creative?
  • Can art augmented by AI be categorised as real art?

• Challenge Opens: 14 October 2024 (12pm)
• Submission Deadline: 12 December 2024 (5pm)
• Awards Reception: February 2025 at King’s Science Gallery

• This is a unique chance to engage with AI in a creative, interdisciplinary environment. By participating, you will:

  • Get the chance to showcase your work at an awards reception at King’s Science Gallery
  • Compete for a top prize of £500 (Love2Shop Voucher) for first-place winners, with additional runner-up prizes
  • Enhance your AI literacy - a highly sought-after skill in today’s job market
  • Gain visibility and recognition
  • Build your network with peers, faculty, and professionals at the awards ceremony

A shortlist will be chosen from the longlisted entries, and shortlisted participants will be invited to an awards ceremony in February 2025 at King’s Science Gallery where judging will take place and prize-winners will be announced.

• Students are invited to submit their artefact along with a 250-400 word reflective statement explaining the connection between their piece and the theme of AI and responsible use. The reflection should detail the AI tools used in the creation of the artefact and expand on the concepts explored.

  Whilst the project requires you to engage with Generative AI in the creation of your artefact, we would urge you to express your reflection in your own words and actively encourage you to refrain from using AI tools to craft the written reflection. We are interested in reading your original thoughts on what you have created, prompted by the overarching theme of the competition.

  To enter the King’s and LSE AI Art Challenge, you must be a current undergraduate student at either institution.

  You are welcome to use any AI tool, but we do not encourage entrants to pay for an AI image generator. As such, we recommend the following free or accessible options:

  • Stable Diffusion 1.5 (Free and accessible without registration)
  • Craiyon.com (Free and accessible without registration)
  • Copilot (Free with institutional log in to Microsoft – Includes Dall-E 3)
  • Dall-E (Free version available, registration required)
  • Runway (Free version available, registration required)
  • Adobe Firefly (Free version available, registration required)

  King’s students should submit their artwork and reflection via this form.

  Submissions close at 5pm Thursday 12^th December 2024. Any entries submitted after this time will not be accepted.

The AI Art Challenge stems from a shared vision between King’s and LSE to address the cultural, ethical, and societal implications of AI and is inspired by learning activities from LSE100, LSE’s flagship interdisciplinary course, and King’s Academy’s recent completion of comprehensive  Generative AI Guidance for staff and students.

The challenge encourages students to deepen their understanding of how issues of AI and responsible use also transcend preceding, traditional ways of comprehending the modern world, and explore the vast potential and complex risks AI brings to the forefront. The submission calls for a deeper reflection on how we can engage with AI in a responsible and ethical manner.

In this collaboration, King’s and LSE are offering a unique opportunity to students to develop and demonstrate their innovative engagement with AI tools. With AI literacy’s increasing significance, we are launching this inter-institutional 'art' challenge as a way for students to experiment with and artistically explore AI technology and its related cultural tensions.

Entries will be judged by an independent panel based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the theme, with topics specified in written reflection
• Innovation and creative engagement
• Quality of reflection and clarity of ideas
• Representation, aesthetic and emotional impact

Please note, we are not judging submissions based on technical expertise, it’s about conveying an idea.

The AI Art Challenge judging panel is formed by experts external from King’s or LSE.

Maitrayee Basu (Lecturer, Race and Media, University of Leeds)
Lois Blackwell (Lecturer, Interior Design, Manchester Metropolitan University)
Matt Bond (Theatre Director and Producer - Director, PlayAI)
Maria Than (Creative Technologist, Artist, Co-founder of Ricebox Studio and Lecturer at University of the Arts London (UAL)

Shortlisted artists will be invited to a celebration event in  February 2025 at King’s Science Gallery, where prize winners will be announced. This will be followed by a drinks reception, a fantastic opportunity to meet other participants and professionals in the field.

King’s Academy is the hub for educational, professional and learning development, dedicated to supporting all staff in enhancing and developing the teaching and learning practices and environment across King’s .

King’s Academy has recently completed a comprehensive Generative AI guidance project for both students and staff. Its aim is to ensure students are able to complete their studies responsibly and with integrity and be equipped to enter a world increasingly impacted by these emergent technologies, and for staff to adopt and integrate generative AI at different institutional levels.

LSE100 is LSE’s flagship interdisciplinary course taken by all LSE undergraduate students as part of their first-year studies. The course provides students with opportunities to develop their understanding of the social sciences by examining urgent, global challenges in collaboration with their peers from different disciplinary backgrounds and leading academics from across the School.

Students choose one out of LSE100’s three themes to focus their studies on. Each theme examines a complex question currently facing social scientists. In 2024/25, these themes foreground questions of AI, climate futures and fair society.

The AI ‘Art’ Challenge invites students to engage deeply with the complex and controversial questions such as: “Can AI be creative?”, “Can its outputs truly be called 'art'?”. We want to acknowledge that this debate is both valid and necessary. This challenge was designed precisely to confront these important questions head-on, encouraging students to explore the boundaries of creativity and technology in an evolving world.

The AI 'Art' Challenge provides a platform for students to create visual or audio-visual pieces using one or more AI tools, prompting them to think critically about the role of AI in the artistic process. This is a dynamic, disruptive, and challenging space—one that brings into question not only what we consider art but also the ethical and responsible use of AI. We recognise the contentious nature of these discussions, and we welcome them as part of a broader, ongoing exploration of AI's place in society.

By augmenting their creativity with AI, students are invited to reflect, debate, and experiment. The challenge isn’t just about the artefacts themselves but about fostering deeper conversations around AI’s potential, risks, and its ability to reshape traditional notions of art. In this space, creativity, disruption and ethical responsibility intersect, making it a rich area for exploration.

We encourage students to push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and bring their ideas to life through this exciting and provocative competition. The critiques that have emerged reflect the importance of these questions, and we see this as an opportunity to move the conversation forward, inviting more nuanced reflections on what it means to create in the age of AI.

• In the King’s and LSE AI Art Challenge, we celebrate creativity, diversity and cultural expression. We encourage all participants to submit artefacts that are respectful and considerate of all individuals and communities. Please ensure that your work reflects a commitment to inclusivity.
• Entrants must be undergraduate students at King’s College London or LSE.
• The opening and closing dates and times for entries are as indicated in the challenge information. Any entries received before the opening and after the closing of the challenge will be invalid and will not be entered into the challenge.
• Students may only enter the challenge with one submission.
• By submitting, entrants warrant that all information submitted by them is true, current and complete.
• When creating artefacts via AI image generators or other tools, follow data privacy considerations and do not use others’ personal data without their explicit consent.
• By entering the AI Art Challenge, you consent to the challenge organisers sharing your artwork digitally and physically during and after the challenge has taken place.
• The process for determining the winner of the prize is as indicated in the competition information.
• The winners (and/or shortlisted entrants) may be asked to participate in video/photography production after the challenge.
• There will be a top prize for both a King’s student and a LSE student.
• The prize is as specified in the competition information.