SmallRig Joins Art World Figures to Discuss Creativity and Authenticity in the AI Era--and How Art and Technology Can Drive Innovation

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SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As generative AI changes how images are made, one question grows more urgent: what still belongs to the human behind the lens? On…

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As generative AI changes how images are made, one question grows more urgent: what still belongs to the human behind the lens? On November 11, Shenzhen International Art Museum and SmallRig, the imaging-gear brand built for creators, took up that question together by hosting an international exchange on how art and technology ecosystems are being reshaped in the AI era.

The conversation brought together leaders of Chinese art museums, Anett Holzheid, senior curator at Germany's ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, artists and SmallRig co-founder Gao Haiyan.

Zhang Zikang, director of Shenzhen International Art Museum and professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said art and technology are a key direction for the museum, rooted in Shenzhen's tech environment. Wang Shaoqiang, director of the Guangdong Museum of Art, described using AI to produce short films about classic works, which cut cost and production time, yet stressed that art must return to personal growth, understanding of the world and the expression of Eastern aesthetics. Holzheid views exhibitions as shared ground for artists, audiences and curators, and sees AI widening perception and enabling collaboration across disciplines.

Zadok Ben-David used AI to explore bird forms for an installation, repeatedly refined the images and selected some for the work, determined that it retain an artist's character, emotion and humanity. A photographer set an AI-generated lightning strike against a desert he had photographed himself, gaining new ideas but noting that generated imagery tends toward sameness, while real presence at a scene cannot be substituted. Spatial artist Feng Yu championed honesty of material, where imperfection and unplanned outcomes can carry sincerity.

Speaking for SmallRig, Gao noted that technology has opened imaging to everyone, but "AI cannot replace real-life experiences or the act of capturing them." AI can be an efficient, enabling…

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