The Great AI Art Debate
When I first tried an AI art generator, it was because I looked at a YouTube video about AI generator websites. Some of the resulting designs were a bit wonky, but mostly they were good to spectacular. Thus I had to try this out! :)
First, I tried DALL·E 2. I liked the images, but I was also disappointed that the image resolution was low — especially if I wanted to use any of these works for print on demand or for downloadable printables. Then I found another video that introduced me to NightCafé. This generator had the advantage of being to upgrade the image size to 8,000 pixels square. Plus you could also have a different aspect ratio if you wanted. You could also specify the number of images you wanted. Both of these generators produced some very interesting images. Both had free and paid options. I was hooked! Since then, I have been having a lot of fun with AI. I have contacted RedBubble via email to confirm that I won’t be in danger of losing my RedBubble account if I upload AI-generated images to their website. So far, I have not had an answer from them. The reason I thought it wise to check with them is that AI art has evidently created a maelstrom among artists. Some art websites have now banned AI art. The jury is still out on who, if anyone, owns the copyright for AI art. Both of the AI generators that I have used give permission to use the images that you “create” by means of their software commercially.
Some artists view the AI art software as yet another creative tool that they can use. They talk about using AI-generated images as reference photos. They mention being able to use an AI image as a starting point and then modifying that image, either in software like Photoshop, or maybe even on the generator site by adding to and tweaking their text prompts. Other artists are threatened by AI and are in fear of losing their jobs. Still others are downright angry that while they spent years learning how to create high level art, that a newbie now can enter a text prompt into a box on the AI generator site and within a few seconds have in many cases an outstanding image.
The incident that added fuel to this raging firestorm came when a gentlemen entered an AI-generated art work in a prestigious art contest in Colorado and won. It is an understatement to say that the traditional artists who didn’t win were very upset.
Where do I stand on all of this? For one thing, traditional art will never go away. There will always be artists who create. Creativity is within us. God made us in His image. He is the Creator of all, and I have always believed that our creativity is part of that Divine image. Children love to draw and create. So I think art is here to stay.
As far as artists’ jobs go, there may be some jobs that will be lost — or at least vastly changed. Automation is affecting other fields as well. This is part of the larger picture of corporations saving money with the use of modern technology. Artists may need to find a way to work within this new framework if they want to continue to have employment opportunities. Like it or not, AI art will only improve and increase.
Am I fascinated by AI art? Yes. Am I threatened by it? No. Fortunately, since I am now retired, I am not concerned about losing a job.
Do I consider the images I placed into my gallery on this website to be my art? No, I do not. I conceived and typed in the text prompt, but that’s all I did. I want to learn more about writing good prompts. I want to be as specific as possible so as to get images that more closely resemble what I envision. Even with more detailed prompts though, these images are still not my art.
Do I believe that AI-generated art is real art? I am still thinking about that one. To my mind, the human element and expression is a huge part of art. Is obtaining an image that is aesthetically pleasing or one that is intellectually intriguing enough? How much of art lies within the viewer (and what life experiences and emotions the viewer brings) rather than in the creator? If instead of giving a text prompt to a machine, you give it to a human artist who then turns that prompt into an image, is that more truly art than AI art is?
It will be interesting to see where this debate goes. If you are completely new to AI, I am posting a video demonstration on my videos page. Here is the image that was created in the video:
