In this age of AI influx, the notion that generative AI platforms like Midjourney and Runway could be employed to create art might seem ludicrous: What sort of artistic merit can be discovered in creations like Shrimp Jesus and Ballerina Cappuccina? Yet among all the chaos, there are individuals utilizing AI tools with genuine thought and purpose. Some are achieving significant success as AI artists: They are amassing large online audiences, auctioning their work, and even having it shown in galleries and museums.
“At times you need a camera, at other times AI, and occasionally paint or pencil or any other medium,” states Jacob Adler, a musician and composer who took home the top award at the generative video company Runway’s third annual AI Film Festival for his creation Total Pixel Space. “It’s merely one tool added to the creator’s arsenal.”
A prominent characteristic of generative AI tools is their easy access. With no need for training and in a very short period, you can produce an image of anything you can envision in any style you wish. This is a significant reason why AI art has drawn so much backlash: It has become astonishingly easy to flood platforms like Instagram and TikTok with shallow content, and businesses can generate images and videos themselves instead of enlisting trained artists.
Henry Daubrez, an artist and designer who crafted the AI-generated visuals for a bitcoin NFT that went for $24,000 at Sotheby’s and is now Google’s inaugural filmmaker in residence, views that accessibility as one of the most commendable features of generative AI. Individuals who had long abandoned creative expression, or who never found the time to master a medium, are now producing and sharing art, he claims.
However, that does not imply that anyone can create the first AI-generated masterpiece. “I don’t believe [generative AI] will generate an entire generation of prodigies,” remarks Daubrez, who has labeled himself an “AI-assisted artist.” Using tools like DALL-E and Midjourney may not necessitate technical prowess, but making those tools yield something captivating, and then assessing whether the outcomes are worthwhile, requires both creativity and an artistic sense, he asserts: “I think we are on the brink of a new era driven by taste.”
Even for artists who possess experience in other media, AI can transcend being just a simple shortcut. Beth Frey, a trained fine artist who showcases her AI creations on an Instagram account boasting over 100,000 followers, was attracted to early generative AI tools due to the strangeness of their outputs—she enjoyed the distorted hands and eerie representations of eating. As time has passed, the inaccuracies of the models have been smoothed out, which has contributed to her not posting an AI-generated piece on Instagram in over a year. “The advancements make it less intriguing for me,” she shares. “You now have to strive harder to capture the glitch.”
Creating art with AI can necessitate relinquishing control—both to the companies that develop the tools and to the tools themselves. For Kira Xonorika, a self-identified “AI-collaborative artist” whose short film Trickster is the pioneer generative AI piece in the Denver Art Museum’s permanent collection, that relinquishment of control is part of the fascination. “[What] I truly appreciate about AI is the aspect of unpredictability,” shares Xonorika, whose projects investigate themes of indigeneity and nonhuman intelligence. “If you are receptive to that, it significantly expands and enhances ideas that you may have.”
Nonetheless, the concept of AI as a co-creator—or even merely as an artistic medium—remains far from broad acceptance. For many, “AI art” and “AI garbage” are still viewed as synonymous. Therefore, despite his gratitude for the acknowledgment he has received thus far, Daubrez finds that spearheading a new art form amidst such intense resistance is an emotional rollercoaster. “Until it’s universally accepted that AI is simply a tool like any other and that individuals will utilize it however they please—and some of that may be remarkable while other parts may not—it will always be a blend of sweet and sour,” he states.
