Today, aesthetic experience acquires a new dimension through artificial intelligence, complex algorithms, virtual systems, and digital technologies; reality is no longer merely perceived but becomes a construct built through code, data, and machines. This transformation necessitates an examination of how art’s modes of representing truth are reconfigured by technology. The art of Mümtaz Yener, who is distinguished by his explorations of the relationship between truth and technology, not only reflects the aesthetic and technical inquiries of its time, but also offers a pioneering perspective that anticipates the transformative effects of digital technologies on human life. In works such as the Ants Series, Mechanized Humans, and Half Human Half Robot, the increasingly blurred boundaries between human and machine are explored both aesthetically and conceptually. These works prefigure and visually articulate themes such as the mechanization of the human body, the permeability between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, and the individual’s position within an increasingly digital world. This study aims to examine Yener’s artistic vision regarding technology and artificial intelligence through his thematic series, and to discuss the relevance of these early anticipations in the context of contemporary debates on the relationship between AI and art. Conducted within a qualitative framework, the research employs descriptive analysis of findings obtained through a literature review, and analyzes selected works by Yener using thematic analysis. Concepts such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, human–machine relations, and technological consciousness are used as interpretive lenses. Additionally, the transcript of an interview with the artist’s daughter, Göksun Yener, is evaluated through thematic analysis, offering further insight into the artistic and intellectual continuity underlying Yener’s oeuvre. In conclusion, Mümtaz Yener’s art presents a multilayered foresight into the human condition in the age of artificial intelligence, offering significant clues as to how the boundaries between technology and human nature are represented through art. His works can be regarded as early examples of the artistic dialogues that can be established with digital culture, both formally and conceptually.
Keywords: Mümtaz Yener, artificial intelligence, art and technology, machine and human, contemporary art