Written by: Caitlin Corll
Can artificial intelligence or AI create artwork that captures human emotions? Is creating AI “real art”? Is it unethical to use an AI image generator?
These questions are currently causing a lot of debate in creative communities and society as a whole. This controversy comes from several places. First of all, how to make art.
Images by Caitlin Corll created with Canva
For individuals, AI art is created simply by entering a prompt, and the application generates the images to use. You can add more prompts and critiques to improve the image to suit your personal ideas.
However, more is being done behind the scenes to create these images. As California’s Learning Resource Network Explained, the first step in the generation process is data collection.
AI generator developers need to provide huge amounts of data to their AI models. This data can consist of images, videos, and text. This model uses this data to learn how to replicate patterns between different types of artwork, what makes appealing to humans appealing, and different styles.
This is a place of debate. This data, where the AI model is being trained, must come from somewhere. It is usually collected from databases on the Internet. This sparked debate as to whether the way certain models collect data violates current copyright laws.
As “Smithsonian MagazineAI image generator Stabilityai has been the defendant in two cases so far.
The perspective appears to be split in terms of the legality of the process of finding and using images in AI models. The class action lawsuit against Stabyai clearly states it as a violation of the artist’s legal rights.
Images by Caitlin Corll created with Canva
“The harm to artists is not hypothetical. The “style” of certain artists generated by AI image products are already sold online and sucking up committees from the artists themselves,” the lawsuit states.
However, representatives of stabilityai and advocates of AI-generated art believe that they are no different from human artists who learn to seek inspiration from other artists.
“People who believe this is not being used fairly do not understand technology and misunderstand the law,” a spokesman for StabilityAI said.
David Holz, CEO of Midjourney, another AI image generator, shares this idea.
“Can a person look at someone else’s photo, learn from it and create similar pictures?” Holtz said. “Obviously, it’s allowed by people, and if that’s the case, it’s going to destroy the whole professional arts industry… As long as AIS is learning like people, it’s the same thing, and if the images come out differently, it seems ok.”
Current laws need to evolve to meet the concerns of society that are working with AI for the first time.
Some argue that art is a unique human pursuit, while others argue that AI cannot replicate it or create “real” art. This is an interesting question that examines many potential angles.
Encyclopedia of Britannica Art is defined as “a visual object or experience consciously created through expressions of skills or imagination.”
By this definition, AI’s artwork seems not “real” art, as it is undoubtedly unaware or imagined.
However, artists have always held closely to the unique philosophy of what defines art. The emergence of AI has not changed this, and the arts community is as diverse as countless mediums in its opinions on new technology.
Harvard Gazette We share interviews with several artists from various fields to explore their views on the topic.
“Art means what we attribute to it,” said mixed media artist Matt Sanders. “It may be a provocation, but it’s essentially always part of the conversation. Many artists already use the invention (and provocation) of AI in their works of great substance, but of course the artists still bring it into the room.”
Looking at art through this lens, AI art certainly fits the definition when you define it as part of a conversation.
“Art has a spiritual and emotional element,” said Moshe Safdi, an architect and city planner. “In terms of art created by AI, we don’t think we can call it art… we see that it composes music, but I don’t think it can create Beethoven’s last sonata in itself.
Again, this cultivates the opinion that the emotional aspects of human art define it. Emotions are still something that AI can mimic, but not authentic production.
Like these creatives, WPU students agree that emotions are inherent to human artwork and inherent to the critical features of what constitutes “art.” However, like society as a whole, there are diverse perspectives.
Images by Caitlin Corll created with Canva
“I’m human art and you can actually see the emotions behind it,” said junior business major Eileen Arerano. “I don’t know you, but I believe in human art, you put your feelings into it and with AI it just feels blank.”
For some students, it is also the stripping of this opportunity by humans incorporating their work and by AI, which creates an inadequate sense of AI artwork.
“To some extent, I think it could be called real art, depending on how it is,” said sophomore business management major Kaylan Logan Bouknight. “Like inspiration, or if someone copies it exactly… But in a way, it’s not actually artwork because it’s taking away from people who are actually spending their time and effort on what they want to do.”
Some people in the WPU community simply oppose these stances and view AI artwork as real art. This creates it by an algorithm that does not reduce its authenticity.
“It’s not only convenient, it also takes time,” said Jadon Roberts, a major junior simulation and game design. “It was just designed by AI.”
Despite the potential controversy, WPU students incorporate AI artwork into their projects and create it themselves.
Roberts uses ChatGpt, Microsoft Copilot, and AI Art Generation to create artwork, characters and avatars. Bouknight searches the web to find specific images generated by AI and uses a generator when your project requires a specific type of image.
There are many concerns about AI art, but there are also many benefits, such as helping artists and graphic designers work more efficiently, allowing artists to explore new media, and allowing students to find very specific images and enhance their projects.
“We hope that AI artwork will help some people win jumpstarts and create and monetize content,” Roberts said.
Apart from strictly practical uses, some WPU students create AI art for their fun.
“I used it to enjoy it,” Arerano said. “In the computer background, I did rocks and waterfalls. I use them for interesting works of art.”
AI artwork also tells us many potential problems and benefits for artists and consumers. There are questions about copyright issues, fair compensation for artists, and what constitutes “real” art, but WPU students are also investigating the benefits of technology.
The laptop is surrounded by tubes of watercolor paint and paintbrush on a wooden table. The advent of AI art combines traditional artistic venues with the digital realm, bringing both advantages and challenges to artists.
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