Artificial intelligence dedicated to the arts

A new monolith created by DATEV employees now adorns the Rosengarten at the DATEV IT Campus 111 in Nuremberg. What makes it unique is that not only the creativity of the employees but also artificial intelligence (AI) was involved in the creation process. The sculpture symbolises constructive cooperation, the appreciation of diversity and the creative use of modern technology, thus embodying digital transformation personally.

As part of the "DATEV kreativ" initiative, the IT service provider's employees regularly create works of art. The current project follows the idea of creating a reference to DATEV's business area while at the same time using a technical component as an essential part of the creative process. AI was quickly chosen because it is an important topic for DATEV. AI is an excellent tool for assisting in many tasks - especially recognising patterns. In the current project, this function has been dedicated to art.

AI as a transformer

The symbiosis of human creativity and technology was achieved by DATEV employees sending in personal photos. AI calculated a suitable shape as a design element for the monolith from its metadata. A star-shaped pattern was chosen for its specific arrangement. This basic pattern gave the work a consistent framework while preserving the individuality of each element through the uniqueness of each feature. AI analysed the photos submitted using ten predefined parameters and transformed the data into a custom pictogram. The images, the original material, showed the sender's favourite objects, so each star created has a very personal touch.

The pictograms were then transferred to stainless steel and welded using a plasma cutter. The 138 workshop participants carried out this part. The pictograms were given the initials of the person who submitted them to identify each star in the sculpture. The works of art created in this way now form a sculpture 3.50 metres high. Alongside other monoliths made as part of the"DATEV kreativ" projects, this new one has a permanent place in the Rosengarten behind DATEV IT Campus 111.