Until 15 May 2025, the Media Majlis Museum (Northwestern University, Qatar) is hosting AI or Nay? Artificial vs. Intelligent, a captivating group exhibition curated by Jack Thomas Taylor (Curator of Art, Media, and Technology at the Museum). The show delves into the complex relationship between human creativity and machine learning, examining the opportunities and challenges AI brings to contemporary journalism.
Exhibited are 20+ works by regional and international artists, ranging from digital installations to mixed-media projects, as well as newly commissioned pieces and loans from renowned institutions, for example, the Computer History Museum (California, USA) and Qatar Museums (Doha, Qatar).
The show encourages visitors to question and reflect on the blurred lines between digital and human learning, focusing on how journalism might harness AI’s potential while navigating its limits. Structured around four central themes — Hindsight, Insight, Oversight, and Foresight — the exhibition explores how AI is reshaping ideas of privacy, identity, and representation.
Among the notable exhibits are Time to Read by French artist Patrick Tresset, featuring robotic arms that create visitor portraits; Adnose by Adnan Ayub Aga, a 3D-printed nose that tells stories through scent; Quartz and DNA Fragments by French artist Mathieu Merlet Briand, sculptures made of thermoformed and printed plexiglass; and Dutch artist Jan Zuiderveld’s Dream Machine.
Zuiderveld’s work invites visitors into an interactive space where creativity meets machine learning. Using a hacked 2000s Xerox photocopier, visitors can draw on paper with markers. The machine scans visitors’ sketches, applies a realistic texture in a predefined style (such as a 3D render, sculpture, or woodcut), and prints a transformed version, demonstrating the creative potential of AI technologies.
Also on view are commissioned works focusing on AI’s impact on privacy and identity. Artificial Target by Yemeni artist Amr Alngmah examines the tensions between software, hardware, and humanity. Patterned Deserts: Where AI and Traditions Meet, an installation by Bangladeshi artist Farjana Salahuddin, offers visitors to interact with sand, where their touch creates evolving patterns, and reflect on the intersection of human creativity and technological evolution. Meanwhile, How We See the Computer <> How the Computer Sees Us, a digital artwork by Qatari graphic designer Hind Al Saad and Egyptian artist Hadeer Omar, examines the interplay between human cognition and AI perception.
In addition, the museum has created several digital installations for the show: Is It Real?, a digital essay blending AI-generated material with found footage; Building Blocks of AI and Journalism, an exploration of how journalism and AI are evolving together; and Where Do They Stand?, a simulated conversation assessing the strengths and weaknesses of chatbots in investigative journalism. A glossary of key terms related to AI and journalism, published by Silvana Editoriale, complements the exhibition.
To get more information about AI or NAY? Artificial vs. Intelligent, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
You might also be interested in viewing The Forest of Infinite Secrets by 3D artist Rank SSS (Sabrina Guechetoul). Besides, we would also recommend that you read our article about four remarkable Middle Eastern AI artists.
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