Since the start of the digital era, technological advancements have shaped our way of life. As a result, we began integrating technology into different aspects of our lifestyles in an effort to stay current and relevant with the most recent inventions and innovations. There have been significant improvements in several industries, ranging fromtransportation, healthcare, while also elevating our social and communal skills. Technological developments are beginning to emerge not just as tools to improve our quality of life, but also as a means for individuals to express themselves through the creation of art. Despite how exciting it is, the art community is currently faced with a dilemma: Is artificial intelligence art, a way of redefining and expanding the idea of art, or is it erasing what are arguably its most significant elements—self-expression and emotional value—in the process?
Artificial intelligence art utilizes mechanisms such as algorithms that replicate brush strokes and painted effects andmathematical patterns. AI is used by several large corporations' programs to produce various kinds of graphics based on text prompts. One of the most noteworthy examples is OpenAI's DALL-E. In the 1960’s, Harold Cohen developed the AI art system that could be considered as the blueprint: AARON. Since then, AI-generated art has been steadily gaining popularity. In the 2010s, a broad variety of AI art-generating programs started becoming widely accessible to users. Some of the artwork created by these programs even went on to gain recognition and win notable awards.
Jason M. Allen, founder and owner of Incarnate Games Inc., submitted one of his works that he created using Midjourney, an AI art generator, to the Colorado State Fair in the division “digital art/digitally manipulated photography.” He ended up winning the division and receiving the $300 prize. Despite the fact that neither of the two category judges were aware that Midjourney was an AI software, they both later admitted that they still would have given Mr. Allen the prize even with prior knowledge.
Mr. Allen’s artwork claiming the first place has sparked some controversy around artificial intelligence being introduced to art. One user tweeted, “I'd consider an Al generated image along the same lines as something created without sentience, that happens to sometimes evoke emotions.”
Many argue that an artwork's value and uniqueness stem from the creative process, therefore artwork generated by artificial intelligence, has little to no creative value and cannot be regarded as art. Critics doubt that computers will ever be able to rival, much less outperform, a human's artistic ability.
Mike Pepi, a critic who writes about the relationship between culture, technology, and the arts commented, “I guess I’m just very frustrated with these tech people coming in and willy-nilly trying to use these interesting GAN networks to spit out something that just sort of looks surrealist or abstract. I definitely feel like there are some artists who do that, and the results just aren’t very good.”
Technology has become a fundamental aspect of our life in today's world. As a result, we wonder how we can use technology to make our lives more practical because of our growing dependancy on it. One of the many aspects of our life that is affected daily by technological advancements is art. We have managed to incorporate technology into something that gives us joy. Although there are varying perspectives on this, it is undeniable evidence that we are becoming more and more immersed in technology every day.
Works Cited
“Artificial Intelligence Art - Wikipedia.” Artificial Intelligence Art - Wikipedia , 7 May 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence_art.
Roose, K. (2022, September 2). An a.i.-generated picture won an art prize. artists aren't happy. The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html
Stead, Chloe. “Is AI Art Any Good?” Art Basel , www.artbasel.com/stories/artificial-intelligence-art-artist-boundary?lang=en. Accessed 21 Sept. 2022.