Art World, Museums Embrace Digital Disruption

Some industries are easy targets for disruption: manufacturing, auto, healthcare. You might want to add the art world to that list.

From high-end to end-user: Christie's sold its first piece of AI-generated art last year and became the first major auction house to test a blockchain-based art registry. And a machine learning algorithm recently went viral for creating your Renaissance likeness from a photo.

The experience economy

More museums are betting they can lure you out of the house by extending art experiences onto novel digital platforms. Among the presenters at Y Combinator yesterday was the Museum of Future Experiences (MoFE), which offers personalized VR experiences.

MoFE recently hosted Emerging Tech Brew at its SoHo gallery to showcase the technology. After asking a few questions that get at your "subconscious," MoFE curated a multi-stage, personalized, and definitely abstract VR art journey. Of the VR experiences I've had, it was definitely among the most immersive and unique.

Is it real art? People who use the word "methinks" might say no. But Christie's, which sold the AI-created painting for $432,000, might beg to differ.