@article{tse-2026-art-humanity-code,
  author = {Benoit Baudry and Yogya Gamage and Gonzalez Fernandez, Nadia and Lena MK and Pena Mendieta, Roxana and Souza Pinter, Rafaela and Stefano Zacchiroli},
  title = {Art in Humanity's Code},
  abstract = {Artist-led open-source libraries such as Processing or openFrameworks have had a major impact on artists and designers who use code as a creative medium. In this work, we conduct the first large-scale empirical study of public code repositories that use these libraries. Our study dives into 1,613,571 code repositories collected from the Software Heritage archive. Blending quantitative and qualitative methods, we investigate the diversity of practices and practitioners regarding code hosting, geographical distribution, and the characteristics and purposes of code-based creative works. Key findings include evidence of the worldwide practice of generative art and creative coding, as well as the adoption of these practices in both education and across creative industries. We illustrate these findings with concrete examples of repositories and contributor profiles around the globe, spanning the spectrum of code-based art, from visual to sound art. These results lay the groundwork for educators, researchers, and artists who investigate code and creative practices to sustain diversity in the construction of our digital world.},
  publisher = {IEEE Computer Society},
  year = {2026},
  issn = {0098-5589},
  doi = {10.1109/TSE.2026.3742130},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (TSE)},
}