Artificial Intelligence and art

Hi there, my dearest readers! In today's post we will be talking about the relation between AI (Artificial Intelligence) and modern art styles. We have picked this topic because we have read a review published last Friday 20th October by Jonathan Jones in The Guardian, a British digital newspaper. In this review, Jones commented on a new exhibition created by Mat Collishaw, a visual artist who has composed an exceptional and flowered collection of works of art made by AI.

The Centrifugal Soul (detail), 2016 … a spinning sculpture based on a zoetrope. Photograph: Mat Collishaw

To put you in context, Artificial Intelligence is the simulation of human intellegence processes by machines, especially computer systems. In general, AI systems work by ingesting large amounts of labeled training data, analyzing the data for correlations and patterns, and using these patterns to make predictions about future states. AI programmes focuses on cognitive skills that include the following: learning, reasoning, self-correction and creativity.

This new exhibition and artistic expression has made us realise that times and art are changing. We have some knowledge of the History of Art —because we studied it at high school— so we know how ancient British artists used to paint and express their thoughts and feelings on the coarse cloth and it was quite different as it is nowadays. We truly believe that there are great examples of artist among all artistic periods such as Geroge Gower (Renaissance), Joshua Reynolds (Baroque) or William Turner (Romanticism).

To our minds, sculptures, paintings and artworks in general used to be majestic and pretty precise. It took days, weeks or even months to artists just to create and finish one piece but at the present there are diverse artistic ways. There are some ongoing artists who still work as their predecessors did: they catch the easel, the coarse cloth, the paint, and immediately start designing their sketches and drawings. However, there are others who take their computers, describe what they want to represent on their illustrations and an AI does its labour, and we think that this is truly disappointing.

From our perspective, art loses all its sense when it is not generated by humans as long as it is the most touching action that a person can offer. Today, there are only a few details that make the difference between the human and the machine; nevertheless, there is one that is crucial: feelings. This is the main reason why art would never be felt the same if is is made by Artificial Intelligence instead of human artists.

Another reason why we consider that art loses all meaning if Artificial Intelligence is used is because we believe that the culture of effort is lost. By culture of effort we refer to the time and effort that was required before to achieve the objectives or goals of each one. Artist express through their art the effort that has entailed making the work, in addition to expressing feelings, ideas, concepts, … However, with AI this is not achieved because it is simply a work that does not transmit anything.

We both recognise that Artificial Intelligence can be very useful but we also consider that it should not be used for absolutely every task we have to do. AI is easily accessible and it is available to everyone as well as it is a double-edged sword. When we have such a helpful tool within reach, we tend to forget that it is just a device which we can use in case we need it instead of something that is going to make all of our job for us. 

Thinking about this topic, we have concluded that the use of AI on art has both advantages and disadvantages because, on the one hand, AI can assist artists and help them to generate new ideas and concepts and can provide them inspiration too. Artists can collaborate with AI to combine their creative visions and the results could be totally unique because the AI is able to create personalised art.

But on the other hand, as we have said before, art created with AI lacks authenticity and emotional touch and it is usually considered impersonal. AI in art also can cause dismissals if it starts doing the job that a human used to do before. Furthermore, excessive use of IA can cause overdependence that ,in the long run, can have harmful effects on health. Another disadvantage is the high expense of implementing the systems and the great pollution they produce when they are created.

To end with today’s entry, we would like to encourage all those new artists to use their artistic potential without the need to use Artificial Intelligence. We are not suggesting that it can not be used as a support tool, but we believe that there is nothing more beautiful that enjoying art in all its splendour.

Thank you all for reading our content, we hope from the bottom of our hearts you enjoy it and mainly that you learn from it. See you soon, my dearest readers!

Bibliography:

Jones, J. (2023, 20 octubre). Mat Collishaw Review – AI plants Put the shock and sensation back into British art. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/20/mat-collishaw-review-fabricated-plants-put-the-shock-and-sensation-back-into-british-art

          Burns, E., Laskowski, N., & Tucci, L. (2023, 10 julio). Artificial Intelligence (AI). Enterprise AI. https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/AI-Artificial-Intelligence