Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Entry #4: The Threat of AI Art

     There has been an recent uproar in the art community about the usage of AI art. Before discussing this issue, it's important to understand what AI art is. According to Forbes.com, "AI art typically refers to images made using generative AI tools. These create images of all sorts, of almost any style, on almost any subject, based on a text prompt." AI standing for Artificial Intelligence, based off this simple definition what could the issue be..? AI art seems like a tool for artists to use for inspiration and referencing or those who can't draw to have the chance to "make" art. Welllll not exactly! In fact, many artists (including myself) are against AI artwork! 

    Children's book illustrator, Rob Biddulph tells The Guardian, "Fundamentally, I have always felt that art is all about translating something that you feel internally into something that exists externally. Whatever form it takes, be it a sculpture, a piece of music, a piece of writing, a performance, or an image, true art is about the creative process much more than it’s about the final piece. And simply pressing a button to generate an image is not a creative process.” I respect and agree with Biddulph's interpretation of art as humans have created art for tens and thousands of years with different purposes and creative usages.     

    One of the most famous art pieces created is Van Gogh's, Starry Night, an oil painting that creates movement with its brush strokes. Not only is the painting aesthetically pleasing to look at and admire, so is its history. Additionally, Van Gogh painted the Starry Night while he was staying at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum; furthermore, Britannica states that he "observed the night sky from his barred bedroom window and wrote a letter to Theo (his brother) describing a magnificent view of the morning star very early one morning in the summer of 1889." 

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Van Gogh's history lives in his artwork and is what makes each of his paintings worth value. One can admire and see the different brush strokes he took. I decided to go to an AI generator, Deep AI, to see if the bot can capture a moment like Van Gogh once did, I used the prompt; Van Gogh Starry Night:


I think the AI did a decent job trying to generate an image to look just like the original Starry Night... but it's missing the history and beauty of the original piece. Personally, the images I generated begin to become an eyesore and messy trying to figure out what's happening. For example, the buildings begin to morph and become fuzzy. My purpose for using Van Gogh is to show human artwork has passion as AI is lacking and is only programmed to copy. 

    Artists are worried about being replaced with these AI programs as many artists rely on commissions for income. Some AI art is difficult to spot! People usually only look at a post online for a few seconds, like or comment, then move on. Another issue is the legality of AI art generators becomes blurry. How do AI art generators produce art? Well, it needs a sample of existing artwork posted on the internet, which includes copyrighted images. For example, TechRepublic.com states Getty Images is suing Stability AI, accusing the company of stealing their copyrighted images. The advancement of AI is truthfully scary, but I refuse to think that human creation can be replaced by a copycat bot. Spreading awareness of how dangerous AI art is to artists is important! Afterall, picking up a pencil and learning to draw takes practice and patience, the process is what makes art fun! I've been drawing for roughly ten years now and exploring my style makes the hobby enjoyable. (Remember if PewDiePie can do it...so can you!!!)




6 comments:

  1. Hello Dakota, I really enjoyed reading your post! This is an excellent topic of choice! I also agree with your point that art should be about creativity and creative process rather than just pressing buttons for AI to generate. I believe AI has become very huge and this can become a problem to future Artists. But overall, I enjoyed your experiment with the AI generator and how you gave us references between to real one and generated one to see the difference which you definitely can!

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  2. Hi Dakota! I really liked reading this post! I think the topic of AI is really interesting because it is a new technology. I feel like most people always talk positively about AI without considering the downside such as this. As someone who also creates art, i have never considered that AI can negatively affect me. Very eye opening post!

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  3. Being an artist, I can say that you hit the nail on the head with this post, haha. Well, I can only say thank you for bringing at least some hope into the current anxiety situation with AI!

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  4. Zion Webb
    I completely agree with your points about AI art. The lack of creativity and passion in AI-generated artwork is evident when compared to pieces created by human artists like Van Gogh. The history and emotion behind a piece of art is what truly makes it valuable, something that AI cannot replicate. Artists have put in years of practice and dedication to their craft, and it's disheartening to think that they could be replaced by machines. It's important to raise awareness about the dangers of AI art and continue to appreciate the unique creativity that comes from human hands.

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  5. Hello Dakota, I just have to say I totally agree with your stance alone in regards to AI. Art is one of the biggest subjects that AI is beginning to control, music especially. While AI may indeed have it's benefits on certain systems, I believe it may also have a destructive impact on society. Many people are getting by works and college with AI tools. This is keeping them from reaching their full potential. This can cause problems down the road for them and everyone. There definitely needs to be limitations on the accessibility to AI. There should also be a rule instated that requires any art being generated by AI needs to have a clear label that shows it is AI conceived.

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  6. You know, if you ever asked me if I thought the plot of iRobot would become real in 2024 when I was a kid, I would've called you crazy. Jokes on me though, it's real. AI art is just soulless. I'd even say it's beyond lazy, it's downright dangerous. People will use this to fake images, and it's honestly scary.

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