Cars, art and technology come together this week at BMW with the introduction of the “The Ultimate AI Masterpiece.” The collection of 8 Series models leverages NVIDIA’s open source “StyleGAN” artificial intelligence software to cross-reference over 50,000 images of artwork spanning 900 years of art history and a curated set of 50 works from renowned and emerging contemporary artists BMW has worked with over the past 50 years.
The high-tech “art cars” were created in partnership with creative technologist Nathan Shipley of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and Gary Yeh, Art Collector & Founder of ArtDrunk. The virtual art installation premieres in conjunction with Frieze New York 2021, as well as the 50th anniversary of BMW Group Cultural Engagement. Reimagined for its new location, the fair brings together over 60 major galleries.
“For 50 years, BMW has supported the arts and culture through numerous initiatives as a way to engage and interact with consumers around the world in an authentic way,” said Uwe Dreher, vice president of marketing, BMW of North America. “As we continue these efforts into 2021 and look for new and creative ways to engage audiences, we shift to a virtual setting where we are combining centuries-old art and the latest AI technology to create something completely new and exciting.”
It’s no surprise that BMW picked the 8 Series range for this art-tech project. The luxury gran tourer combines luxury, driving dynamics and beautiful design into a single package. With many polarizing BMW designs being launched, the 8 Series stands out as the elegant gentlemen in the lineup. Add to this package the techy bits and massive power, and we can see why the 8 Series was the perfect choice for this project.
To see more of these AI-designed vinyl wraps, take a look at the photo gallery below:
