OPINION: AI vs. Artists: Can AI Replace Creativity?

As the age of artificial intelligence starts dawning upon us, many aspects of society slowly begin to be replaced by AI. We are now in a world where it is entirely possible that students are writing assignments using AI, which are given to them by teachers who created those assignments using AI, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing at all. My expertise in AI comes in the form of “AI art”, as many of my other skills reflect. The impact of image-generating AI is huge, and its presence in the art world is steadily on the rise. 

Firstly, what is generative AI? Usually, it is described as an AI system that generates either video, image or text. Some of the most popular examples are ChatGPT, Midjourney or Dall-E. Image generation AI has been used in many places; such as advertisements, in social media, schools, companies and even just for fun. In fact, some members of Ridley have used AI-generated images as promotional material before. At face value, image generation seems like the best way to promote something. It costs no money, it wastes no time, and it seems like the perfect tool! AI seems harmless when used on a small scale like advertising an event within a community of a smaller group of people, and for the most part, I have no issue with its usage in many instances. I understand the thought process- you’re short on time, you have no budget, Midjourney it is! If that’s all there is to AI, then what’s my issue with it all?

To talk about image-generative AI, we have to talk about where it comes from. Now, you might have noticed I haven’t labelled it as “AI art”, because, to me, I struggle to call it art. To fully justify myself, I will have to write a whole article on the definition of art itself, but to put it simply- it has no creativity, no value and lacks the human touch that comes with art. I can begrudgingly call “the bean” in Chicago art, but an image loses all value when the only humanity lies in the description. 

Generative AI needs a database to work. ChatGPT uses the internet, so what does image genAI use? Well, images, of course! But to gather a database for AI “art”, you would need artwork. This is one of my biggest gripes with the current state of genAI. Millions of pieces of artwork from unconsenting artists are put into programs like Midjourney. Sometimes they’re taken off of Google Images, but other times they could be taken directly from an artist’s social media page. This becomes a big issue when you’re trying to “emulate” an artist’s style- simply put, to copy how an artist draws something without doing it yourself or with the artist’s knowledge. Millions upon millions of artworks are stolen straight from artists and mashed into a new image, deprived of any artistic liberty. It doesn't stop there. Artists are having their style copied using AI- with people typing prompts such as “generate an image in the style of [artist]”. An artist’s art is their identity, something they might have spent their whole life perfecting. Think about it, you pour days, weeks, and even years into creating a style, creating your identity as an artist, and someone comes in and takes it in less than a day. 

Additionally, AI stops being fun when it threatens the careers of so many artists. Just like people who aspire to be doctors or engineers, though less important in the eyes of many, there are people who wish to become artists. Now, the market for art is getting lower and lower because of GenAI. Art takes decades to master, but AI can replicate that without any of the time-intensive studying that comes with making good art. The AI takes art created by masters and spits out what it thinks looks good. In fact, AI has been used to win art competitions. Below, I show a picture of generated AI work that won the Colorado State Fair. On a technical level, it could be considered impressive. The lighting and fabric are well done, there’s no denying that. The problem doesn’t lie in the visuals, however, but in the ethics. To submit your generated image in a competition meant to show off artistry, creativity and skill by artists who have mastered their crafts over decades of work- that is unjust; not to mention the fact that he is apparently selling it for 750 US dollars (1,051.08 Canadian Dollars). The creator of this image claimed, “It’s not like you’re just mashing words together and winning competitions,” but I believe that’s exactly what he did. No matter how many words you had to type in, it's still just that- you’re typing words and descriptors and hoping the AI can make something pleasing for you. The fact that someone can use AI to win a competition is discouraging to human artists, to say the least. The world may not need artists anymore, but should that really be how human art ends?

The last point I want to argue is the environmental impact of AI. This is something that applies to all aspects of GenAI, not just image generation. Forbes has stated that a single model of generative AI used in a corporate manner emits five-times the amount of carbon that an average car does. The increased demand of GenAI has tremendously increased electricity usage, and current infrastructure cannot keep up: global warming is becoming more and more noticeable each year, as Mount Fuji just had its first snowless October and Halloween wasn’t even cold this year — if nothing changes about the way AI is used, it’s safe to say that the effects of climate change will only get worse. 

Generative AI has stepped out of the boundaries of being “fun”. It has taken commission jobs from artists, it has been used to win art competitions, pushing away artists who actually deserve the recognition, and it is steadily increasing the rates of global warming bit by bit. Art should be a celebration of creativity, a spectacle of humanity, a showcase of skill honed by hours and hours of studying. I encourage everyone to think about why art is created in the first place, and why artists are so against it. If you enjoy the topic of AI or want to know more about why I am against the idea of AI, I encourage you to watch the videos “Why Artists are Fed up With AI” by Samdoesarts, “AI ART: I'm angry at artists” by Ethan Becker, and “AI is ruining the internet” by Drew Gooden. This is a rather new topic in our society, and I don't want you to blindly agree with me, but dissect my points and form your own opinions. Generative AI is a new technology, and instead of blindly agreeing with it, I believe we should look at it with a more critical eye.