AI art exploits the work of artists

ANNIE BAI THE RUBICON

60 seconds. That is how long it takes on average for an app or website to generate a work of AI art. While it takes artists years to develop their own unique styles of painting, drawing or sculpting,a machine learning algorithm can replicate any style within seconds. Websites like Fotor, DALL-E, Midjourney, and NightCafe create artwork for as low as $10 a month by using the priceless work of real artists.

Through technological advancements, AI algorithms are capable of generating “original” artworks with just a few keywords and prompts. When AI is presented with an image to create, it processes information using two neural networks mimicking the human brain. One creates something new while the other compares the result to known images to guarantee similarity. The other method, Creative Adversarial Network (CAN), requires the AI to create its own technique. The neural network attempts to generate something entirely different from existing styles. But can they truly be considered art?

Annie Bai

A recent controversy regarding the ethics of AI art took place at Colorado State Fair’s annual art competition. Prizes were awarded to all of the usual categories: painting, quilting, sculpture. But contestant Jason Allen submitted an artwork generated by Midjourney, a website that turns text prompts into hyper-realistic artworks. His piece, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial”, won the first place blue ribbon along with a $300 cash prize. The New York Times stated that “Mr. Allen, the blue-ribbon winner, said he empathized with artists who were scared that A.I. tools would put them out of work.” But Allen urged artists to direct their anger not at individuals who use DALL-E 2 or Midjourney to create art, but the companies that replace human artists with A.I. algorithms.

These AI algorithms simply analyze the components of an existing image and program them into a new picture. Although CAN creates its own style, the AI is still dependent on completed artwork and can’t create something entirely unique from scratch. Because all AI art is based on artwork made by humans, the algorithms need reference images, and websites that generate artworks through prompts mimic elements from existing images associated with those words.

AI machines can replicate, but they lack the creativity of the human mind to create something truly unique and instead feed off the work of actual artists. Genuine artists who spend immeasurable amounts of time and effort should be the first priority to support and value over AI art. Encouraging generated art is unethical as it exploits the work true artists dedicate to their art. Instead, ways to support the livelihoods of artists include commissioning them for a certain piece or engaging with local art businesses.