Last year, generative artificial intelligence created waves in the art community. It created a lot of controversy, with
human artists claiming that AI was infringing on their intellectual property rights.
There’s still a lot of debate around this issue. However, we’re now seeing a new angle in the saga. Late last year, a
piece of AI-generated art won a Blue Ribbon at the Colorado State Fair.
The category was for up-and-coming digital artists, so the piece fit. However, it still caused a lot of contention.
The team from supportyourapp.com debated the issue quite vigorously. They then discussed how AI art was reshaping our
perspectives in general. Here are the main points they came up with.
Creativity Enhancement
AI allows you to expand your creativity by providing novel ideas, styles, and forms. You can, for example, prompt the
algorithm to generate a piece that merges two disparate styles. You can then deconstruct the results and create a new
work.
This is an ideal way to challenge conventional notions. It can also help you break out of a rut when it comes to
creativity.
Democratization of Art
AI tools make art creation more accessible to everyone. As long as they have access to a computer and a basic
understanding of what prompts to use, they can create a piece. This makes it easier for individuals to express
themselves and allows everyone to participate in the creative process. Additionally, with the rise of AI-generated art
platforms, web scraping becomes a valuable tool for art enthusiasts and researchers alike. By scraping these platforms,
one can gather a wealth of information about emerging trends, popular styles, and the vast array of artworks being
produced globally. This data can not only inform artists about what resonates with audiences but also provide insights
into the evolving landscape of AI-generated art. Thus, web scraping plays a pivotal role in democratizing access to art
creation and understanding its diverse forms in the digital age.
Exploration of Boundaries
Generative AI blurs the line between human and machine. It’s quite interesting to see how the algorithm interprets each
prompt. Together, humans and machines can create something quite special.
We can maybe see generative AI as the next evolution of digital art.
Reflection on Bias and Ethics
What we need to consider is that the machines operate neutrally, but their programmers may be biased. The recent outcry
against Google’s Gemini is a case in point.
It seems as though Google wanted to make a very politically correct system. This was refreshing as many of the other
image generators would follow typical stereotypes.
However, Google took things too far the other way. In their bid to create a fairer system, they ignored historical
accuracy. Some glaring issues included dark-skinned Vikings and a female pope.
Finally, we also have to consider the ethics of using AI to create art. It’s worth mentioning that the machines aren’t
creating original work as such. They’re basing their pieces on existing work online. They don’t have the faculty to
create something brand new from scratch.
Now, while the end result seems unique, it’s likely drawing on elements from different sources. This has prompted
several class action lawsuits for copyright infringement.
New Aesthetic Experiences
AI models have problems properly understanding concepts like people having two arms and legs. It’s a common issue to see
extra limbs in pieces. The generators battle with eyes and fingers.
Therefore, the work often looks off in some way. This can be a good thing, though, because it’ll stimulate discussion.
And that, at the end of the day, is what any great masterpiece will do.
Making a Positive Impact
While we have to work out how to create historically accurate images, the controversy surrounding Gemini highlighted a
positive aspect of the technology. You can use AI to create aspirational images.
This could be a useful way to drive social change. A female pope might be pushing it a little, but what about more
images of female astronauts? How about showing more pictures of women in male-dominated industries and vice-versa?
All art can make an impact by highlighting social issues. However, until now, it’s taken a very special skill set to
properly portray the images we want to create. With generative AI, it’s easier to generate pictures that can inspire
others.
Educators could use these to put in their classrooms, and students could use them for their vision boards.
In Conclusion
In the art world, anything new always stirs up fierce debate. When Gustav Klimt first started displaying his work, it
was scandalous. Van Gogh died in poverty and believed himself a failure. If only he knew what would happen after he
died.
The point is that both of these artists had very new, creative styles. AI is offering us another viewpoint that is
threatening to be as disruptive to the art world.
Whether or not it’s actually art is a matter of debate. The truth is that we now have an interesting tool at our
disposal. And while there are some ethical dilemmas, it’s clear that AI art is here to stay.
In ten or fifteen years, it’ll probably be mainstream and perfectly acceptable to incorporate AI-generated bits.
However, the public will want artists to own up to it.