artifaktit

Artifaktit is a term used in contemporary discourse to describe artifacts whose creation relies on artificial or automated processes, such as algorithms, machine learning, digital fabrication, or other computational methods, thereby complicating traditional distinctions between human-made and machine-made objects.

Origin and usage: The term emerged in art criticism and philosophy of technology in the early 21st century, though it has no single canonical definition. It is used to discuss objects that carry explicit traces of algorithmic authorship, including metadata, design provenance, and programmatic variation.

Definition and scope: An artifaktit may be a physical object produced via 3D printing from generative designs, a sculpture shaped by AI-assisted design, or a digital work that evolves through machine-learning processes.

Provenance and authorship: Core concerns include determining the creator's role, the rights of programmers, designers, and users, and how to attribute authorship when the object's form and behavior change over time.

Examples: A generatively designed sculpture produced by a designer in collaboration with an algorithm; an interactive installation that adapts to viewer data; a digitally minted artifact whose appearance updates according to a trained model.

Reception and critique: Critics debate whether artifaktits should be considered legitimate forms of creativity, how they affect originality, and how institutions should archive or display such objects.

See also: artifact, algorithmic art, generative design, digital hybridity.