What happens when robots begin to dream?

During The Awakening of Robotic Art – Speaking & Panel, the Creative AI Foundation (CAIF) brought together artists, technologists, and thinkers for an inspiring evening of ideas and exchange at the intersection of art, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

AATB (Andrea Anner & Thibault Brevet) introduced Training Ground, a poetic exploration of a sleeping, dreaming robot — a work that questions the boundaries between machine learning and imagination.

The discussion featured Prof. Jianwei Zhang (University of Hamburg; Member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering; International Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), who shared visionary perspectives on the future of humanoid robotics in art, culture, and sports — including upcoming CAIF collaborations on robotic alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Yariv Adan (AI investor, Ellipsis Venture Capital; former Google Senior Director of Products) offered insights into AI as a mirror of human cognition and creativity, challenging audiences to consider how technology reflects the evolving nature of consciousness.

Adrian Notz (Curator AI + Art, ETH AI Center; CAIF Board Member; former Director, Cabaret Voltaire) moderated the evening and guided the discussion around the central theme of how robotics and AI are reshaping artistic creation and perception.

Florian Paul König (artist manager and founder of NAO Contemporary) introduced the collaboration with AATB, connecting their work to broader questions of embodiment, movement, and emotion in robotics.

Together, the speakers invited reflection on how machines may evolve from instruments of productivity into creative partners — capable of imagination, introspection, and poetic expression.