Democratizing Art through AI

In today’s dynamic landscape, startups often emerge as the true pioneers of innovation—the restless dreamers who refuse to be constrained and who dance at the edge of possibility. They understand that today's radical idea can become tomorrow's standard practice, and they're willing to take the risks necessary to turn visionary concepts into reality. This is the case for Acrylic Robotics, one of Canada's forward-thinking tech companies, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to reimagine visual art and reshape how we approach artistic creation—offering new perspectives for creators and art enthusiasts alike. 

Continue reading to discover how this Montreal-based startup contributes to pushing the boundaries of creativity and preserving cultural heritage. 

While completing her studies in mechanical engineering at McGill University, Chloë Ryan, an artist and creative technologist, was determined to disrupt the archaic fine art market and bring quality art to the general public, all while empowering artists to reach new markets. 

She developed a ground-breaking technology that transforms digital images into vibrant, textured paintings and founded Acrylic Robotics.

“We want to make it easier for everyone to own high-quality art—not just the top 1%,” explains Ryan. “We also want to do more for artists. They are integral to the creation process—from the moment we obtain consent to begin training the robot on their data, to offering them appropriate credit and compensation, every time.”

Leveraging AWS's advanced machine learning capabilities powered by Amazon SageMaker, each artwork captures the “aura” of an original work and individual artists’ distinctive style. Guided by AI, the robotic arm gracefully dips the brush in paint and applies nuanced brushstrokes to a canvas with delicate precision, elevating digital renderings into physical masterpieces. The process of these “Aurographs” is intricate, and the result, elegant.

"Our goal is to harness generative AI and advanced robotics to empower artists globally, make art more accessible and allow artists to expand their reach," Ryan explains, reflecting on her company's international success and transformative potential.

At the recent AWS re:Invent annual conference, spectators gathered around a robotic arm, watching as it meticulously recreated a breathtaking artwork called “r=asinn0” by AI collaborative artist Claire Silver. This marked the second collaboration between Acrylic Robotics, Claire Silver, and AWS, successfully transposing one of her artistic creations onto a physical canvas.

After battling a severe chronic illness that confined her to bed for years, Silver discovered art's therapeutic power and AI's remarkable capacity to enable creative expression despite significant physical limitations. Today, Silver’s artwork, both timeless and cutting-edge, adorn museum and art gallery walls across the globe. Her pieces masterfully intertwine classical styles with state-of-the-art AI techniques, crafting a mesmerizing landscape that evokes both unfamiliarity and intimacy.

Beyond her visual creations, Claire is passionate about democratizing art through technological innovation—something that she and Acrylic Robotics both have in common. 

What’s also rewarding for an entrepreneur is when their innovation reveals potential far beyond its original intent. Acrylic Robotics began as an ingenious way to create art. It’s now demonstrating profound potential for safeguarding cultural heritage.

Considered the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada, the late Norval Morrisseau remains the only Indigenous artist to have held an individual exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada. Recently, Morrisseau’s body of work fell victim to art fraud, with over 6,000 pieces produced and fraudulently sold to art collectors worldwide. This temporarily damaged Morrisseau's legacy, with financial losses exceeding $100 million Canadian dollars. 

His estate sought out Acrylic Robotics’ help to help identify counterfeits and create a platform capable of predicting forgery probability.

Acrylic Robotics continues to play a key role in this effort – leveraging both their advanced robotics and AI algorithms powered by AWS cloud and AI services—to create high-caliber Morrisseau replicas that train Norval’s estate’s AI model. To date, approximately 2,300 fake paintings have been identified through legal proceedings and AI probability analysis.

"Thanks to our partners such as Acrylic Robotics, AWS, legal experts Mishcon De Reya, and various academics, Norval Morrisseau's legacy will be stronger and better protected than that of any other artist in history. We are living in a truly historic moment, and through these efforts, we are advocating for strengthening the rights of all artists and art lovers worldwide," said Cory Dingle, executive director of the Norval Morrisseau estate.

For over 18 years, AWS has helped more young companies build, launch, and develop than any other cloud service provider—it’s no coincidence that 96% of AI/ML unicorns run on AWS.

These companies are at the forefront of observing the change happening within their walls and throughout society. They glimpse the transformative power and new possibilities for innovation that AI offers. In fact, 77% of Canadian small businesses identify AI, including generative AI, natural language processing, and machine learning, as the technologies most likely to have societal impact by 2030.

Today, we’re witnessing this change. Acrylic Robotics is among the many Canadian companies leveraging emerging technology to transform the world we live in. Their work with Claire Silver and the Norval Morrisseau estate demonstrates the positive impact of AI, working to propel art and entrepreneurship toward a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable future.

Read this blog post to discover how other Canadian startups are scaling to new heights with AWS.