Gabriella Manzenreiter

PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of Philosophy at the University of Pécs, Hungary

 

I am an art curator and doctoral candidate at the Doctoral School of Philosophy at the University of Pécs in Hungary, specializing in the philosophy of art and aesthetics. My research areas include the philosophy of artificial intelligence and art theory. My primary research focuses on theoretical questions regarding the application of artificial intelligence in creative processes.

In my dissertation, I examine how the use of AI in the arts creates new philosophical and aesthetic questions. I study how concepts of art and creativity have changed from antiquity to the present, and how digital technologies and AI are transforming artistic practices and cultural institutions. I am especially interested in the cultural impacts of AI, including questions about human creativity and communication, chiefly the role of the artist and the recipient in the digital age.

My research strongly connects to societal questions of AI through digital humanities with a focus on the phenomenon of automation. My deep interest lies in ethics and ethical governance in the context of technological change. My research topics and current academic activities align with the University of Alberta's interdisciplinary research environment, so I am excited to join the team at the Wirth Institute. I look forward to contributing to international academic dialogue between Central Europe and North America in the field of AI, philosophy, and the humanities.

Before starting my PhD, I completed a Master’s Degree in Art and Design Management with a specialization in Curatorship at the Budapest Metropolitan University in Hungary, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media Studies at the Budapest University of Economics and Business in Hungary. Alongside my academic pursuits, I have also gained practical experience in the cultural field through curatorial projects, exhibitions, and public art initiatives. During my curatorial studies, I was drawn to the discourses on the reception of art – those ideas which have been shaping my academic journey from the very beginning.

I actively engage with artists and cultural professionals while doing interviews and having discussions on current art practice, with a special interest in AI-generated works and the concepts of creativity and originality. Therefore, I have conducted interviews for years with prominent Hungarian artists and scientists to cover recent trends and the future of art. During my PhD, I have also participated in and been involved in many academic conferences, where I presented research related to AI and the arts.

In my free time, I enjoy visiting museums, galleries, and cultural heritage sites, which also allows me to understand visual culture and the social role of art beyond academia. I am grateful to have the opportunity to discover the local cultural scene in Edmonton and to exchange ideas with colleagues at UAlberta.

Research: https://medbiotech.academia.edu/GabriellaManzenreiter