From Brushes to Algorithms: The Influence of AI on the Definition of Art

Introduction

　　Are we witnessing the dawn of a new era in art where AI takes the reins from human creators? Through the rapid development of technology, AI has come to be capable of generating artworks of various forms. During the 2023 Fine Art Exhibition, a contestant participated with a painting generated by AI and won the first prize. An issue was then brought up: Can AI-generated artworks be considered art?

　　According to Adobe (2023), a pioneer in creative software, AI art is defined as “artwork made with the assistance of generative AI — a technology that finds patterns in big datasets and uses that information to create new content.” Leveraging AI art generators like Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, or DALL ‧ E, artists input detailed prompts, and the tool generates image options based on these descriptions. These generators utilize diffusion models trained on images to facilitate the creation of diverse artworks. When prompted to depict, for instance, a tree, the AI generator draws upon its learned information about tree appearances to craft a new and unique image. This fusion of human intent and AI capability opens up a realm of creative possibilities that might redefine art.

　　In a dynamic technological landscape, the definition of art undergoes transformation—some focus on the human element, while others broaden art to anything that elicits enjoyment. To gauge whether AI artwork can reshape this definition, we assess its performance in key artistic aspects: its creativity and originality, its role as a collaborative tool, and its ability to resonate profoundly with the audience.

Creativity and Originality

　　Creativity stands as a paramount aspect in art. By examining the capacity of AI to engender genuine creativity and originality, we can discern the extent to which AI artwork aligns with the essence of artistic expression. Traditionally, creativity has been closely tied to human ingenuity, involving the capacity to connect diverse ideas and express unique perspectives. Human creativity often draws from real-world experiences, intertwining various forms of knowledge and emotions. This perspective has spurred debates regarding whether artificial intelligence can truly exhibit creativity comparable to that of humans.

AI’s lack of creativity as mere mimicry

　　Some argue AI lacks real-world knowledge, leading to a creativity deficiency. Aristotle posits that human creativity stems from experience, memory, and intellect. Humans, with powerful memory, organize past experiences, discern similarities, and inquire into causes. Aristotle attributes this to the intellect, connecting individuals with the divine (Gregoric & Fink, 2022). Applying Aristotle’s theory to AI, it may lack the depth of human experience, memory, and intellect, potentially falling short in exhibiting genuine creativity. For instance, tasked with creating a wedding scene, AI may include diamond rings but struggle to capture the nuanced essence of romance, lacking the depth humans associate with symbolic meanings. Critics contend that AI, in this context, mimics rather than genuinely creates, reproducing learned patterns from other human artists’ works.

AI possessing creativity due to parallels with human’s sentiment

　　Proponents argue that AI, mirroring Aristotle’s framework, demonstrates creativity in its training process. After accumulating a substantial volume of information, individuals identify causal connections, guiding the formulation of broader rules. This process leads to the discovery of foundational principles that provide explanations for various phenomena without being accountable to external factors (Gregoric & Fink, 2022). Similarly, AI artwork generators engage in a form of training where they absorb vast amounts of data, including images and textual information, and organize this data to discern patterns and connections (Propios, 2023). The generator learns to link different artistic elements, much like humans link diverse aspects from their life experiences. Moreover, AI can transcend human limitations by exploring combinations and possibilities that may not have occurred to humans before, showcasing a unique dimension of creativity beyond conventional human boundaries.

　　In summary, creativity involves connecting diverse experiences and emotions. Given the similarity between the training process of AI generators and Aristotle’s framework for human sense perception, it becomes evident that AI possesses creativity.

AI as a tool

　　The choice of artistic materials significantly influences art evaluation and is thus important when discussing whether AI is simply an innovative tool or a conscious generator. Some see AI as an innovative medium, while others highlight its ability to create unique artworks. Throughout history, artists adapted to new techniques and materials, initially viewed skeptically. For example, photography was initially met with skepticism but eventually led to distinctive artistic styles. Yet, the controversy arises when considering AI’s distinctive ability to produce original artworks, raising questions about whether it serves merely as an innovative tool for art creation or functions as a conscious generator of art.

AI as an innovative tool

　　As AI technology advances, numerous artists are exploring its creative potential and incorporating it as a novel medium for artistic expression. Art museums are featuring exhibitions dedicated to AI-generated artwork, revolutionizing the traditional way audiences engage with art. According to The Conversation, “Faces,” an art piece within Montréal’s public art program, utilizes a facial recognition algorithm to gather images of visitors to craft a perpetually evolving portrait (Olgen & Cucuzzella, 2023). The infusion of AI into the realm of art has transformed the passive act of visual appreciation into an interactive experience, reshaping the relationship between the audience and the artwork. Audiences are no longer confined to observing with their eyes alone; instead, they actively participate and become integral components of the artistic process. This paradigm shift has spurred artists to explore diverse avenues for leveraging AI as a creative tool, opening up new possibilities for artistic innovation.

AI as a collaborative tool

　　Jason Allen, the first-prize winner of the 2023 Fine Art Exhibition, posited that AI should be viewed as his collaborator. Similar to human artists working in tandem to complete an artwork, Jason engaged in a cooperative process with AI, communicating through prompts and carefully selected inputs. The training process of the AI generator involved a collective effort, where data inputs, given prompts, and algorithms worked in harmony to manifest the shared core idea of the artwork—a tangible outcome of the collaboration between the human artist and AI. As attested by Allen, the misconception that AI art is a swift process of mashing words together was dispelled. According to CNN Business, the creation of his winning piece involved over 80 hours of meticulous work. He detailed how he experimented with phrasing to guide Midjourney, an AI system, through the generation of images, evolving from women in frilly dresses to a fusion of Victorian-style costuming with space themes. Allen’s process included 900 iterations, numerous adjustments, and post-processing in Photoshop (Metz, 2022). The meticulous effort invested challenges the notion that AI art is a simplistic and rapid endeavor, emphasizing the depth of collaboration and creative intricacy involved in the partnership between human and AI.

　　Instead of rigidly classifying AI as either a mere tool or a conscious entity, it is more pertinent to focus on the dynamic relationship between AI and its human user. The classification of AI as a tool or an art collaborator hinges on the extent of human involvement throughout the creative process.

AI’s ability to provoke audience’s resonance

　　Considering the difficulty of distinguishing AI from human-made art, it is sensible to emphasize audience interpretation, and for this purpose, we can delve into “The Death of the Author” concept. The notion of “The Death of the Author” underscores the significance of what the audience contemplates in their own minds after engaging with art. A crucial aspect of art lies in its ability to evoke diverse thoughts among the audience, shaped by their varied backgrounds. To assess the potential redefinition of art by AI, one can examine the reactions of audiences toward AI-generated arts.

　　Building on the concept of “The Death of the Author,” the importance of audience resonance appears to surpass that of the artist’s original intention. Research by Harsha Gangadharbatla (2021) at the University of Colorado Boulder suggests that individuals struggle to accurately discern AI-generated artwork, often associating representational art with humans and abstract art with machines. Since the manner in which a piece of art is created holds little significance for the audience, they can formulate their own interpretations even with AI artworks. For example, a New York Times article titled “An A.I. Hit of Fake ‘Drake’ and ‘The Weeknd’ Rattles the Music World” (2023) highlighted how an AI-generated music soundtrack, appreciated by humans, went viral on the internet. In this context, AI artworks effectively achieve their purpose of inspiring contemplation.

　　In conclusion, AI-generated art has great potential to provoke audiences’ resonance as research highlights the challenge of distinguishing AI from human-made works. This emphasizes that AI artworks serve their purpose by provoking diverse thoughts and emotions among viewers. Notably, humans can also enjoy art forms like videos, animations, or music created by AI, underscoring the transformative potential of AI in the world of art.

Conclusion

　　Through a comprehensive analysis of AI’s capabilities in crucial artistic dimensions, including its creative potential derived from a training process akin to the human brain, its role as a collaborative tool contingent on human involvement, and its capacity to elicit diverse thoughts among audiences, it becomes evident that AI artwork possesses the transformative potential to redefine the traditional concept of art. Moreover, the ability of AI to produce masterpieces hinges on how effectively users leverage its capabilities. Looking ahead, a symbiotic collaboration between humans and AI emerges as a key avenue to optimize and enhance human creativity in the future.

References

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From Brushes to Algorithms: The Influence of AI on the Definition of Art

References