THE GRAIN Newsletter: AI art auction battles and photography rivals connect
The controversies and conversations we've been having this week
Who owns creativity in the age of AI?
The age-old question—What is art?—is back on the table, this time fuelled by Christie’s latest AI art auction, Augmented Intelligence. The sale raked in over $728,000 USD, but not without controversy: over 4,000 artists signed an open letter condemning the event as “mass theft.” Critics argue that AI-generated art exploits existing artists, while supporters—including Christie’s and some AI artists—insist that AI is just another tool in the creative arsenal.
So, is AI expanding artistic possibilities, or is it a battleground over creative control?
Before they were RIVALS, Boris Eldagsen and Miles Astray met on THE GRAIN Podcast—where I first brought them together to debate AI and photography. Now, their viral images hang side by side in a groundbreaking Berlin exhibition that challenges the art world to reckon with the blurred lines between human and machine-made imagery. Is AI a creative tool or a disruptive force? And what does this showdown say about the future of art?
More stories I’ve been watching…
How ‘Her’ predicted the future: AI relationships, ChatGPT sex and more [Variety]
Spike Jonze's bizarro vision of the future where people date their AIs, has come true. In fact, our reality may be much darkerHollywood’s obsession with AI-enabled ‘perfection’ is making movies less human [Fast Company]
From digitally enhancing accents to resurrecting the dead, AI is reshaping film in pursuit of impossible standardsGoogle's new AI Mode is a preview of the future of search [Platformer]
The next phase of AI's takeover of search offers plenty of links to the web— but will anyone click?The L.A. Times adds AI-generated counterpoints to its opinion pieces and guess what, there are problems [Nieman Lab]
The insights themselves are at the very bottom of stories, right above the comments module, and you have to click to expand them‘Trump Gaza’ AI video intended as political satire, says creator [The Guardian]
Solo Avital said he created the video in less than eight hours in early February, and that its spread had “surprised the hell out of me”
For the second season of THE GRAIN Podcast in 2025 I’ve had the privilege of speaking with creative futurist Dré Labre, AI ethicist Cindy Pham, and psychology professor Michael Inzlicht—each bringing deeply insightful perspectives to the table. If you’ve been enjoying these conversations, I’d love your support! Leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Substack and giving a rating helps new listeners discover THE GRAIN and join the conversation. Your feedback makes a difference—thank you!
Read more about THE GRAIN at thegrain.ai and get in touch with me at ronit@thegrain.ai.