Imagination Will Separate Future AI Artists From Amateurs

You can’t teach everyone how to think creatively.

Yes, Midjourney AI created this. But the author still had to conceptualize the image to fit this article. Photo by author

There’s been a lot of blowback about AI imaging platforms since they rose from the tech landscape a few months back. It’s quite clear now that AI-assisted art will not be going away, as more AI tools emerge to make use of it. The question now is whether artists will accept this and embrace the tech, or push back out of principle.

Look, I get some of the concerns from professional artists. There’s a popular Instagram post making the rounds from an artist named Kelly McKernan, noting AI models were fed her images without her consent or compensation. In other words, some of the results from AI can closely mimic her style based on what it learned.

“I’m incredibly anxious for the future of my career, more than ever before. Further, I’m concerned for the future of human creativity,” notes McKernan in the post. She’s not the only one. Other artists who are being used as “prompts” to generate certain styles are fighting against AI art.

Meanwhile, I see this new technology as a game changer, not just for those without artistic skills, but those who are pro artists looking to expand their capabilities. Some of the comments about AI from artists I follow note they are excited about how AI can enhance…