Artificial intelligence as a tool for artists: Christopher Michael Hansen has been fascinated by this topic for a long time. During his master’s degree in Visual and Media Anthropology, he was able to live out his great enthusiasm for the topic in numerous AI projects. After completing his studies, a PhD position at the University of Buffalo is now waiting for him.
During your studies in the M.A. Visual and Media Anthropology program, you focused on artificial intelligence and VR. Now, one semester before your graduation, you have been offered a PhD position at a university in the USA, where you will conduct research in the field of AI.
Congratulations, that sounds great! Please tell us more about your new position and your research projects in the field of AI.
I will be starting as a PhD student at the University of Buffalo in upstate New York (near Canada!) in the Media Studies department. I will start in a few months and am excited to move and continue my studies. PhDs in the US are a little different than in Europe because here I start more as a PhD student while I tackle my research project. The program in Buffalo is unique in the US because it combines media practice with research, so I will continue to do media art while I study. In my research project, I am studying how things like artificial intelligence and virtual reality can create “spiritual” experiences in the realm of video games and virtual worlds. I am particularly interested in how the “New Age” movement in America has influenced much of the technology we engage with today, and how “New Age” ideals are being implemented in contemporary work with AI and VR.
Can you tell us a little about how you became a PhD student? What was the application process like?
The application process for PhDs in the US is quite long and I had been planning to enroll in a PhD for a few years. I ended up applying to 4 different programs in the US and actually got accepted to all of them, which is quite rare! The most important thing in the application is the motivation letter, which explains what research you want to do and who you want to work with in the respective program. They also want to see a portfolio of your work or get some idea of your previous experience, so it was important that I could show that I had worked in that field.
If you're interested in doing a PhD, I'd recommend trying to get something published or give talks at conferences like I did, as that really helped to show that I was dedicated to my field of study. The application process was pretty grueling, but I'm glad I took my time with it - it ended up taking me about 4 months to get it all together!
Christopher Michael Hansen
Why did you choose the Visual and Media Anthropology Masters? What particularly attracted you to the topic of artificial intelligence?
During my studies, I did a bit of studying at the National Irish Folklore Commission, which happened to be based at my college. Even though I didn’t choose folklore studies as my major, these courses sparked my interest in the ethnographic process and new avenues I could explore with media studies in my research. I knew I wanted to learn more about ethnography and the anthropological processes, but I didn’t necessarily want to do a traditional anthropology degree. The VMA Masters seemed like a combination of many things I really loved, and it was worth it!
To be honest, I got into artificial intelligence quite by accident. A few years ago, I took part in an art project in Ecuador and started using AI voices to create an audio piece, simply because it was easier than finding voice actors. I began to realise how much my practice relied on modern technologies such as AI and how easily they can become tools for artists and creatives. This inspired me to research who was developing these technologies and how they were being developed, which opened up a black hole of new interests. I am particularly interested in how modern ideas of “spirituality”, magic and folklore manifest in AI spaces, which have a history that can be traced back to the 1800s. It’s an interesting area I’m working in at the moment and I think there is room and potential for a lot of unconventional research in this field.
Which experiences/courses/projects during your studies do you think will benefit you most in your professional life?
In my first semester I did a project using the Truck Simulator video game series, looking at how players experience “transcendental moments” in this game. I did the project over two courses and produced both a video and a research paper about this work. I ended up submitting the film to a number of galleries and festivals, and it has been screened several times since then. I also had the opportunity to present the research at a virtual conference hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute last summer. People were very interested in the research and the video, and I felt like my work was being seen by a very broad audience for the first time. The time, space and supervision I had to make something of my research were necessary for success, and I would not have achieved the same result without this course.
What advice do you have for (prospective) students who are thinking about studying Visual and Media Anthropology?
This is a fantastic course for self-motivated people. I remember a family friend always telling me as a child, “It’s not where you go to college that matters, it’s what you get out of it,” and that always stuck with me.
This degree has given me the tools and mentoring to develop my art and research in new and exciting ways, but it also gives me space for a life outside of my coursework.
Christopher Michael Hansen
I find this balance very important for someone who does a lot of projects and writes outside of the academic framework. I think if you are ambitious and want to publish your work, but are looking for guidance and helpful colleagues, this course is perfect.
Thank you for the insights. All the best for completing your studies and for your start as a PhD student!
