What Is Contemporary Art in the Age of AI?

Adam Peacock is a London-based artist, researcher and creative director working at the intersection of technology, identity, and culture. He is the founder of THE VALIDATION JUNKY, a long-term research project and artistic platform exploring how algorithmic systems, digital infrastructures, and consumer psychology shape contemporary selfhood. With over 15 years of experience across creative direction, academic research, and speculative design, Adam has collaborated with institutions including the The Royal College of Art, School of Visual Arts in New York, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Scottish Academy, The Vigeland Museum, and PRAKSIS Oslo. He is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD in Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, supported by the ESRC, exploring how AI and algorithmic infrastructures shape identity, desirability, and systems of social value through digital and cultural practices. His work has been exhibited internationally, published by Bloomsbury, and recognised by awards including the S+T+ARTS Prize and the Lumen Prize. Adam’s background in architecture, fashion, and media theory informs a cross-disciplinary approach that engages audiences across both commercial and cultural spheres.

Alison has led museums with a commitment to globally minded, community-focused programming and diversifying collections, staff, and audiences. She has served as Dana Feitler Director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, Chief Curator at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, Assistant Curator at SFMOMA, and Founding Chief Curator of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. Holding Art History degrees from Columbia University and NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, Alison now leads ICA SF’s move from Dogpatch to The Cube in downtown San Francisco. Partnering with Vornado Realty Trust, she is reimagining exhibitions that leverage the building’s distinctive architecture to push boundaries in contemporary art. As a free museum at the city’s core, ICA SF is pioneering new models for philanthropy, funding, collecting, and transparency while fueling downtown’s cultural revitalization.

Dr. Natasha Vita-More is an award winning creative and futurist. She achieved a discovery in neuronal memory preservation, innovated the first AI-nanorobot body prototype, and co-pioneered a philosophical worldview. She is currently faculty, Geneva College Longevity Science, Distinguished Senior Fellow Center for Future Mind. A former Filmmaker-in-Residence, University of Colorado, she was honored at Women in Video. She appears in numerous televised documentaries on the ethical use of technology and evidence-based science in the field of healthy longevity and AI. Featured in New York Times, Vogue, Politico, Forbes, and Wired, magazines, awarded Top 50 Women in longevity, and her innovative works honored at Moscow Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, London Museum, Vigeland Museet, Louvre Museum, and Brooks Memorial Museum.

Gretchen Andrew (b. 1988, Los Angeles) hacks systems of power with art, code, and glitter. Trained in classical oil painting through a five-year apprenticeship with Billy Childish, she merges traditional techniques with technologies including AI, search engine manipulation, and robotics. Along with a Top Tier NY Institution to be announced this September, other institutional collections include 21c Museum Hotel, RFC Art Collection, Francisco Carolinum Linz, and the Monterey Museum of Art. Gretchen’s work has been featured at the Tate Modern, V&A Museum, National Gallery X London, and The Photographer’s Gallery London.