Navigating the art world in the 21st century is a tumultuous task, especially since the creation of artificial intelligence. When I was initially introduced to the world of art, there was a large focus on art history and modern art, but now people are talking about imitated AI art and what a revolution in the art world it is creating. Until a few years ago, the art world heavily revolved around physical mediums, slowly introducing graphic design and photography as fine art, but now the entire foundation upon which those ideals were laid is cracking and turning into rubble. Now this new, unexplored world of art is (almost) equal parts digital media and physical media, as well as a new key player: artificial intelligence.
Most artists’s lives up to this point have been greatly influenced by the most famous artists up to this point, historical art techniques, the foundations of design, painting, drawing, and occasionally photography. Every base technique an artist should know has been drilled into our brains, but there has been no mention of artificial intelligence entering the art world. Up until the last few years, artificial intelligence being programmed to make creations and being labeled art was unimaginable to the world of art. Even when the idea was first conceived, there was no possibility that AI “art” could replace art made by humans, right?
Artificial intelligence, in my opinion, will never be able to outright replace the world of fine arts, and historical art will always consist of the greats we know today like Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Monet, and Van Gogh. While fine arts and the way we learn about the first great artists will more than likely remain unchanged, I have my doubts about the changes that will occur within modern art. What major shifts will occur within the modern art world? With the usage of AI in art, artists, or anyone, can pass off the idea that a creation made by artificial intelligence is their art, but there is the possibility of many more issues arising with the rising usage of AI art. Creations from AI are now learning to compile previously made artworks, making new work from the recycled archives of other people’s pre-existing work. Not only is this a violation of artists’s rights to their own work and creative copyright, but it is beginning to replace full time artists.
Artificial intelligence creations are now not only partially plagiarizing existing artworks, but also learning how to replace full-time artists for a cheaper rate, and, as an artist, this greatly worries me. This technology is now creating pieces that an artist could make as commission pieces. AI can create portraits, landscapes, abstract art, and a multitude of other multifaceted works that only humans could create and understand the depth to previously. Other technologies are now working on how to make advertising using artificial intelligence or even fake photography. Yes, fake photography is being created by piecing images of a pre-existing place together to make an entirely new image. Even with all of this fascinating new technology and acknowledging how amazing it truly is, it is also terrifying.
As an artist, how am I to continue to make a living as the evolution of artificial intelligence grows like a weed? Where I excel, so can artificial intelligence. The one advantage that I currently have is working in three-dimension or physical mediums like sculpture or paint, but will there be artificial intelligence that can accomplish this within the next few years? What about my love for graphic design, advertising imagery, or photography? Will these skills become obsolete at some point in my future? As an artist, these are things I must consider as I have an art career where artificial intelligence is growing at such a rapid pace, and I am just getting started in the art world.