Is Art Basel’s AI embrace a turning point for the art world?

Fast Company

“Our goal is to create opportunities for discovery while preserving the essence of what makes art meaningful.”

The art world pushed back hard on generative AI, yet Art Basel, its most influential fair, built AI into its flagship app. In this Fast Company column, Fantasy CXO Peter Smart talks to Art Basel’s chief digital officer Craig Hepburn and global head of digital products Alain Brusch about why. Their approach is additive: AI helps visitors plan, navigate fairs, discover work and identify artworks, while the art itself stays human-made.

Fantasy designed the Art Basel app with the Art Basel team. See the Art Basel case study.

Read the full column on Fast Company

Key points

How is Art Basel using AI?

To solve a practical problem. The fairs’ scale can overwhelm visitors, who juggle dozens of exhibitions, off-site events and logistics.
As a personal guide. The app’s AI companion builds tailored schedules, helps visitors navigate exhibitions and recommends work based on their interests.
To identify art. Art Basel Lens lets visitors scan an artwork and see details about the artist and gallery.
With transparency. Visitors know how their data is used, and privacy safeguards are built into every interaction.