The Impact of AI on Art: A Comparison with the Invention of Photography
How is AI transforming the art world, and what parallels can be drawn with the revolution brought about by photography?
The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the artistic field has sparked a heated and polarizing debate, reminiscent of the discussions that accompanied the invention of photography in the 19th century. Both of these technological innovations have profoundly shaken the art world, challenging fundamental concepts such as creativity, authenticity, and the role of the artist.
This article explores the parallels between the impact of AI on contemporary art and that of photography on art of the past, analyzing how these technological revolutions have transformed artistic practice, public perception, and the art market.
The Photography Revolution
Challenge to Traditional Representation
When photography made its appearance in 1839, many painters feared that their art would become obsolete. This fear is well exemplified by the famous exclamation of French painter Paul Delaroche who, upon seeing a daguerreotype, reportedly declared: “From today, painting is dead!” (Gernsheim, 1986). Photography’s ability to capture reality with precision seemed to threaten the traditional role of the artist as a visual interpreter of the world. Portrait painters, in particular, saw their profession in danger, as photography offered a faster and cheaper alternative. As art critic John Berger noted in his book “Ways of Seeing” (1972): “Photography has rendered obsolete much of the function of painting” (Berger, 1972).
New Creative Possibilities
However, far from marking the end of painting, photography stimulated an artistic revolution. The Impressionists, for example, embraced the challenge posed by photography, focusing on aspects of visual experience that the camera could not capture: atmosphere, changing light, subjective impression. Art historian Aaron Scharf even stated that “Without photography, there would have been no Impressionism” (Scharf, 1968), highlighting the profound influence this new technology had on the development of modern art.
Democratization of Art
Photography made art more accessible to the general public. The ability to reproduce artworks through photographs allowed an unprecedented diffusion of visual culture. As Walter Benjamin noted in his seminal essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (1936): “The technical reproducibility of the artwork changes the relationship of the masses to art” (Benjamin, 1936). At the same time, photography itself emerged as a new art form, with its pioneers exploring the expressive possibilities of the medium.
AI in Contemporary Art
Challenge to Human Creativity
Today, AI poses similar challenges to the art world. Machine learning algorithms can generate images, music, and even poetry that rival human creations. This raises fundamental questions about the nature of creativity and the uniqueness of human artistic expression, themes explored in depth by Margaret A. Boden in her book “The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms” (Boden, 2004).
The ability of AI to produce artworks that can deceive even experts challenges the traditional idea of the artist as a solitary genius endowed with unique and irreproducible talent. Moreover, the emergence of human-machine collaborations in the creative process is redefining the boundaries between human and artificial creativity, leading to new forms of artistic expression that challenge conventional categories.
New Tools and Possibilities
Like photography before it, AI is becoming a new tool in the hands of artists. Many creators are exploring the possibilities offered by AI, using it to generate ideas, create collaborative human-machine works, or explore new aesthetic territories impossible to reach with traditional means. Some notable examples include:
- “The Next Rembrandt” project (2016), in which an AI was trained on Rembrandt’s works to create a new painting in the style of the Dutch artist, blurring the lines between imitation and original creation.
- Artist Refik Anadol, who uses deep learning algorithms to transform huge datasets into immersive installations and data sculptures, as in his work “Machine Hallucinations” (2019–2021).
- Musician Holly Herndon, who created an AI called “Spawn” as a member of her band, using it to generate unprecedented voices and sounds in her compositions, as in the album “PROTO” (2019).
- Artist Sougwen Chung, who collaborates with AI-controlled robots to create paintings, exploring the relationship between human gesture and machine in her “Drawing Operations” series (2015-present).
These examples demonstrate how AI is opening new frontiers in artistic practice, allowing forms of expression that blend human creativity with the computational capabilities of machines. Ahmed Elgammal, founder of Artrendex, a startup developing innovative artificial intelligence technology for the creative sector, argues that “AI is not just a new tool for artists, but a creative collaborator and a force that is redefining what it means to be an artist” (Elgammal, personal quote).
Redefining the Role of the Artist
AI is pushing artists to reconsider their role. If an algorithm can produce artworks, what is the added value of the human artist? Many are responding by focusing on the conceptual and emotional aspects of art that AI, at least for now, cannot replicate: intentionality, cultural context, lived experience. Furthermore, the advent of AI is requiring artists to develop new skills, blending traditional artistic sensibility with an understanding of emerging technologies. As artist and researcher Luba Elliott observes: “Artists working with AI must be both creative and technically competent, able to navigate between the world of art and that of technology” (Elliott, 2019).
This evolution of the artist’s role recalls how painters had to adapt to the advent of photography, exploring new forms of expression that went beyond mere visual representation. Some artists are beginning to see AI not as a substitute, but as an amplifier of human creativity, a means to explore ideas and possibilities that would otherwise be inaccessible. In this sense, the artist becomes an orchestrator of hybrid creative processes, where human intuition and AI’s computational power merge to create new forms of artistic expression.
Parallels and Differences
Speed of Change
A significant difference between the impact of photography and that of AI is the speed of change. While photography took decades to be fully accepted as an art form, AI is transforming the artistic landscape at a dizzying speed, posing immediate challenges to the art market and cultural institutions. To put this difference into perspective, consider that it took about 80 years from the first permanent photograph (1826) to the first photographic exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1937) (Rosenblum, 2008).
In contrast, AI-generated art made its entry into major auction houses in less than a decade from its appearance: in 2018, Christie’s sold its first AI-generated painting, “Portrait of Edmond Belamy,” for $432,500 (Christie’s, 2018). According to an Artsy report, the number of art exhibitions including AI-created works increased by 220% between 2017 and 2019 (Artsy, 2020). This rapid adoption reflects not only the acceleration of technological progress but also a greater openness of the art world towards new forms of digital expression.
Ethical and Philosophical Questions
AI raises more complex ethical questions than photography. If a work is generated by an algorithm, who holds the copyright? How can we evaluate the authenticity of an AI artwork? Lev Manovich, an artist, author, and theorist of digital culture, observes that “AI-generated art raises fundamental questions about creativity, authorship, and authenticity that the art world has yet to fully address” (Manovich, personal quote).
These issues have recently shown up in legal controversies: in 2022, the U.S. Copyright Office denied copyright protection to an image generated entirely by AI, arguing that it lacked the necessary “human authorship” (Marks, 2022). This has opened a debate on what actually constitutes human creativity in the AI era. Moreover, the use of existing artworks to train AI algorithms has raised concerns about copyright infringement and artistic appropriation. Some artists, like Greg Rutkowski, have expressed frustration over the unauthorized use of their works to train AI systems, leading to discussions on the ethics of data training and fair compensation for artists whose works contribute to AI training (Vincent, 2022).
Reality vs. Creation: A Fundamental Distinction
A crucial difference between photography and AI lies in their relationship with reality. Traditional photography, at least until the advent of digital manipulation technologies, essentially captured and represented existing reality. As Susan Sontag noted in her essay “On Photography” (1977), “Photographs furnish evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we’re shown a photograph of it” (Sontag, 1977). AI, on the other hand, has the ability to transcend the boundaries of existing reality, creating completely new images, sounds, and even narratives or altering existing ones in previously unimaginable ways.
The by the author AI-generated image at the beginning of this article perfectly illustrates this point. While a traditional photograph would have captured a real moment, this image is a completely new creation, blending elements of the real world in ways that challenge our perception of reality. It represents an artistic vision that didn’t exist before AI generated it, demonstrating the power of this technology to create, rather than capture. This ability of AI to generate content ex novo raises profound questions about the nature of creativity and authenticity. While photography had to face accusations of manipulation and distortion of reality, AI brings these concerns to a new level. As philosopher and media theorist Lev Manovich highlights, “AI can not only replicate existing reality but can also generate convincing alternative realities, challenging our ability to distinguish between the true and the false” (Manovich, 2022).
This fundamental difference has significant implications not only for art but for society in general. While photography changed the way we document and perceive reality, AI has the potential to completely redefine what we consider “real”. This poses new challenges for artists, who must navigate a landscape where the boundaries between documentation, interpretation, and pure creation become increasingly blurred.
Accessibility and Democratization
Like photography, AI has the potential to further democratize artistic creation. AI-based image generation tools are already accessible to a wide audience, allowing anyone to create visually sophisticated works without traditional artistic training. Platforms like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have seen rapid adoption: for example, Midjourney reached over 10 million users in less than a year from its launch in 2022 (Midjourney, 2023). This accessibility is blurring the boundaries between professional artists and amateurs, echoing the impact that amateur photography had on visual art in the 20th century.
However, this democratization also raises new questions: could the ease of creation lead to a saturation of the digital art market? How will the concept of artistic skill evolve in a world where AI can generate complex images on command? Despite these challenges, many see in this democratization a potential for greater diversity and inclusivity in the art world, giving voice to creators who might have been previously excluded from traditional artistic institutions.
The Impact on the Art Market
New Collectibles
AI-generated art is emerging as a new category of collectibles. Works created by algorithms have been sold for considerable sums at auction houses, reflecting a growing market interest in this emerging art form. The advent of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) has further amplified this phenomenon, providing a new means to authenticate and commercialize digital art, including that generated by AI. An emblematic example is the work “The First 5000 Days” by digital artist Beeple, sold by Christie’s as an NFT for $69.3 million in March 2021 (Christie’s, 2021). Although not entirely generated by AI, this work paved the way for a new market for digital art.
AI-specific projects, such as “Ai-Generated Artwork Zero” by Obvious, sold for $432,500 in 2018, are gaining more and more recognition and value (Christie’s, 2018). According to a report by ArtTactic, the NFT market for digital art and collectibles reached $2.5 billion in the first six months of 2021, highlighting the rapid emergence of this new segment of the art market (ArtTactic, 2021).
Valuation Challenges
However, the valuation of AI art poses new challenges. How does one determine the value of a work generated by an algorithm? The art market is struggling to develop new evaluation criteria that consider the role of AI in the creative process. Some experts suggest that value could reside in the quality and uniqueness of the algorithm used, rather than in the final visual output. Jason Bailey, founder of Artnome, proposes that “in the future, we might evaluate AI art based on the complexity and innovation of the underlying code, as well as its ability to produce aesthetically interesting results” (Bailey, 2019).
Moreover, the question of scarcity emerges in a digital context: while an algorithm could theoretically generate infinite variations, the concept of “limited edition” is evolving to include limited series of outputs from a given algorithm. These new dynamics are pushing curators, collectors, and art critics to fundamentally rethink the concepts of originality, authenticity, and value in the context of AI-generated art.
The Future of Art in the AI Era
Hybridization and Collaboration
The future of art will likely see increasing hybridization between human and artificial creativity. Many artists are already exploring collaborations with AI systems, creating works that blend human sensibility and computational capabilities. A pioneering example is “The Next Rembrandt” project (2016), where a team of data scientists and art historians used AI to create a new “Rembrandt” based on the analysis of the artist’s existing works (The Next Rembrandt, 2016).
More recently, artist Sougwen Chung has developed an artistic practice in which she collaborates with AI-controlled robots to create paintings, exploring the relationship between human gesture and machine (Chung, 2021). These examples suggest a future where AI does not replace the human artist but becomes an active collaborator in the creative process, opening up new expressive and conceptual possibilities. As artist and researcher Luba Elliott observes: “AI is becoming a powerful tool in the hands of artists, allowing them to explore new creative territories and challenge our perceptions of what art is” (Elliott, 2020).
New Expressive Forms
AI could lead to the birth of completely new art forms, impossible to conceive without technology. Interactive, adaptive, and continuously evolving artworks could become the norm, challenging traditional notions of finished artwork. A pioneering example is Obvious’s “The Infinite Artwork”, a generative artwork that continuously evolves based on cryptocurrency market data, creating a unique and ever-changing visual experience (Obvious, 2021).
Another example is Refik Anadol’s “Artificial Nature”, an immersive installation that uses AI to create continuously evolving landscapes based on real-time environmental data (Anadol, 2021). These works challenge the traditional concept of art as a static and finished object, instead proposing a fluid and constantly changing artistic experience. As art critic Nicolas Bourriaud observes, “Art in the AI era is moving from a culture of the object to a culture of flow, where the process becomes as important as the final product” (Bourriaud, 2020).
Reflection on the Human Condition
In a world increasingly dominated by technology, art could assume an even more crucial role in reflecting on the human condition. Artists might focus more on exploring what makes us human, in contrast to the capabilities of machines. This theme is already evident in the work of artists like Trevor Paglen, whose “Invisible Images” series explores machine vision and its implications for privacy and human identity (Paglen, 2019). Similarly, artist Lauren McCarthy, in her project “LAUREN”, offered to act as a human AI assistant in people’s homes, exploring the tensions between comfort, privacy, and technological dependence (McCarthy, 2017).
These works raise fundamental questions about what it means to be human in an era of pervasive artificial intelligence. As art critic Claire Bishop notes, “Art in the AI era is becoming a crucial ground for exploring the anxieties and hopes tied to our increasingly intimate relationship with technology” (Bishop, 2018). In this context, art can serve not only as a means of expression but also as a tool for critique and reflection on the ethical and philosophical implications of technological development.
The Dawn of a New Creative Era: Art at the Crossroads of Human and Artificial
The impact of AI on contemporary art presents notable parallels with the revolution brought about by photography. In both cases, a new technology has challenged traditional conceptions of art, pushing artists to explore new directions and redefine their role. Just as photography did not supplant painting but freed it from the constraints of realistic representation, it is likely that AI will not replace the human artist but will open new frontiers of creative expression.
The real challenge for the art world will be to integrate AI in a meaningful way while preserving the human values that make art such a powerful expression of our culture and experience. In this process of adaptation and innovation, art will continue to evolve, reflecting and shaping our understanding of the world in an era of rapid technological change.
Art in the AI era, like art in the era of photography, invites us to reconsider not only what it means to create but also what it means to be human in a world increasingly mediated by technology. In this sense, AI could prove to be not so much a threat to art as a catalyst for its profound reinvention. As mathematician and author Marcus du Sautoy observes in his book “The Creativity Code” (2019): “AI is not the end of human imagination, but an extension of it. It is giving us new brushes to paint with and new canvases on which to express ourselves” (du Sautoy, 2019). This perspective reminds us that, despite the challenges, the encounter between art and technology has always led to new forms of expression, expanding the boundaries of human creativity. The era of AI in art promises to be no less revolutionary and stimulating than that inaugurated by photography almost two centuries ago.
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