ABSTRACT

This chapter examines how deep learning neural networks and computer vision technologies are impacting the design, organization and occupation of cities. It begins by providing a brief history of the development of “deep learning” approaches to artificial intelligence. The chapter then focuses on the ways artists and designers have begun to engage with deep learning and computer vision in order to highlight critical questions, especially about the ethical issues surrounding the training datasets these systems depend on. The chapter discusses three art and design examples that shift focus specifically towards the city and spatial concerns, considering the ways these works explore machine learning (the opportunities it presents and the problems it raises) within a specifically architectural or urban context.