The next Rembrandt

What if AI could produce a new work by Rembrandt? This was the challenge taken on by Dutch bank ING, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), and Microsoft in 2016, using deep learning algorithms, facial recognition software and a sophisticated 3D printer. According to an article in Harvard Business Schools’ Digital Initiative, a team of 20 data scientists, developers, AI and 3D printing experts started by studying the entire corpus of the 300+ paintings now accepted as by Rembrandt using high-resolution scans and an algorithm to classify the painting across different 67 different parameters such as costume, gender, gestures, and facial expressions. This data was enriched with information about the master’s brush-strokes, the types of canvas he used and the density of the pigments. The result was a composite printed using a Canon 3D printer with 13 layers of special paint. See the Digital Initiative article for a fuller account of the process and images, and post your vote for the next artist to get this treatment in our Forum!