Date of Award
Summer 8-1-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Ida Susser
Second Advisor
Jonathan Shannon
Academic Program Adviser
Marc Edelman
Abstract
Corporate elites expect generative AI to replace commercial artists but overlook their social and aesthetic expertise. This ethnographic study explores how Brooklyn-based commercial artists narrate their value amid automation, emphasizing embodied presence in cultural scenes, visual language, style, and authenticity, skills not easily mechanized but vital to aesthetic economies.
Recommended Citation
Sudweeks, Devin, "The Automation of Aesthetics: Artificial Intelligence and Commercial Artists in North Brooklyn" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1406
Included in
Graphic Design Commons, Illustration Commons, Linguistic Anthropology Commons, Photography Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons
