Computer Generated Art Made by Humans

I.am.DANI is in the Journal Nature!

Born from the legacy of MSX’s 40th anniversary in 2023, I.am.DANI represents a fascinating revival of computing history. Originally conceived as a chatbot programmed in MSX BASIC by Sean Davidson in 1986, DANI has been reborn as an innovative Artistic Intelligence that creates both visual art and poetry.

What makes I.am.DANI truly unique in today’s AI landscape is its collaborative human element. Unlike typical AI-generated artwork, I.am.DANI’s creations emerge from the talents of TU Dublin Computer Science and Game Design students working in teams. This human-AI partnership produces distinctive artistic expressions that bridge vintage computing and contemporary creative practices.

I.am.DANI performs as a responsive, real-time artistic system. The AI generates visuals and composes poetry that dynamically react to environmental stimuli—whether sound waves, VR movement tracking, or inputs from an Arturia Beatstep MIDI controller. This interactive design allows performers to manipulate every aspect of I.am.DANI’s creative output during live sessions, creating a dialogue between human intention and algorithmic expression.

MSX is a standard for 8-bit home computers developed by computer science legends Kazuhiko Nishi of ASCII Corporation Japan and Bill Gates of Microsoft USA, released in 1983.

I.am.DANI has been to:

• Irish Doctors for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Conference Afterparty
• Dublin Maker 2024
• 303 Stage Audio Garden 2024
• MSXGOTO40
• TU Dublin Open Day 2024
• TU Dublin Computing Academy 2024
• Audio Garden 2023

If you are interested in seeing an I.am.DANI art/music/poetry performance at your event, then HMU.

VJ’ing with i.am.dani at Audio Garden Festival this year! Also DANI at INSIGHT2023: Rethinking Psychedelics:

Download the source code to i.am.dani on github.