Why it’s interesting
Harold Cohen began developing AARON in the late 1960s, using rules, memory, and random events to compose images that plotters and painting machines could physically place on paper.
Decades before prompt-based image generation, it arranged lines, plants, foregrounds, and figures while mechanical pens made the algorithm’s decisions visible.
How to try it
Open the Whitney exhibition page, view the AARON software screens, then compare working drawing machines and artworks from different periods.
Use the official page or demonstration as the current reference. Do not assume that a staged installation, limited experiment, account-gated demo, subscription feature, or physical product is available everywhere.
Requirements and sources
This entry credits Harold Cohen and keeps “AARON” as the original title. It is free to view or try and available as an immediate browser or media experience. Pricing, access, regional availability, accounts, hardware, and service support can change, so verify them on the [first-party source](https://www.whitney.org/exhibitions/harold-cohen-aaron) before trying or buying. The description stays within the documented AI role and does not treat promotional claims as independent testing.