Artificial Intelligence Are Stealing Artists’ Jobs! Or Are They Helping Them?
“A curse and a blessing in the creative sector”
The image above shows a quite nice picture of a robot painting on a canvas, which is generated by a robot or Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ironic right?
Well, this is the reality of the art world today. AI is no longer science fiction. It’s generating art, animations and realistic videos as well. This begs the question: is the creative industry facing an existential threat, or is AI poised to become a powerful new tool in their arsenal?
How is AI Trained to Generate Art?
AI art uses large language models trained on vast amounts of data to create new digital works. Users can input written or visual prompts to generate text, images, or even audio for various purposes like marketing or websites.
By feeding it millions of real images and videos on the internet, the AI learns to understand visual concepts and can then generate its own unique creations.
Several public AI art generators are now available, like Stability AI and Midjourney, offering free trials and subscription options. Over 15 billion images have been created using text-to-image algorithms since 2022 alone.
A Revolution in the Creative Sector
A Bain & Company report suggests using new technologies like AI to enhance creativity in film production.
They present a scenario for a $100 million film where characters might be computer-generated, requiring more upfront investment. However, AI can render virtual elements in real-time, allowing for faster iteration and potentially reducing post-production needs. This approach could save up to 20% in time and budget compared to traditional methods.
Moreover, AI tools spark fresh ideas for concept art enable artistic exploration. They can input prompts like “cyberpunk cityscape, neon lights, flying cars” and receive unique iterations as a starting point.
Digital Technologies Involved
Digital technologies and advanced AI software are crucial in exploring opportunities within the creative sector through Generative AI Art.
NVIDIA’s AI-driven tools, such as GauGAN, enable artists to effortlessly generate hyper-realistic landscapes using Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) which enhances visual fidelity in graphics.
Moreover, Platforms like Artbreeder allow artists to collaborate and experiment with AI-generated artwork. Meanwhile, MuseNet allow users to create text-based stories or poems by entering prompts and suggestions, supporting individuals with limited writing experience.
Loss of Creativity and Oversaturation
While AI art offers exciting potential, concerns remain. Overreliance can stifle creativity, as a 2023 study showed a decrease in intrinsic motivation and confidence in artists who heavily used AI for ideas. Additionally, IBM warns of AI trained on biased data, narrowing the “creative landscape” by homogenising artistic styles.
Additionally, a Book An Artist 2023 survey found 55% of artists fear AI will make it harder to generate income. AI’s rapid art generation could flood the market, making it oversaturated and harder for human artists to compete.
The Darker Side of the Canvas
After discussing the opportunities that generative AI brings above, there are also challenges that arise from this.
Remember the Pope’s “puffer jacket” photo? AI-made art can trick people and spread false information online. This can make it hard for people to trust digital art in general. They might wonder if a piece of art is real or if it’s been used by a computer, and if it really shows what the artist intended.
Another major concern is the lack of artist consent. According to Book An Artist, 73% of artists want to be asked for permission before their artwork is utilized for algorithm training. However, AI algorithms train on massive online datasets, often scraping artwork without permission. This raises copyright and exploitation issues.
Addressing the Challenges
Websites like AI or Not are allows users to upload an image and get a quick prediction on whether it’s AI-generated or not. Integrating these websites into digital art platforms and online galleries could serve as a proactive measure in promoting transparency and authenticity within the art community.
Blockchain technology can be used to create a secure and transparent record of artwork ownership and usage rights. This can help ensure artists are credited and compensated for their work used to train AI models.
AI Art Might Not be Our Enemy After All
While generative AI introduces challenges in the creative sector, a critical view argues that these challenges can be seen as positive shake-up for innovation.
AI art can be a nudge for artists to explore fresh creative ideas. The challenges AI throws their way might push them to use technology in new ways, leading to unique, never-before-seen art.
“AI is a tool. The choice about how it gets deployed is ours.” — Oren Etzioni
Political Stance of AI Art
Many on the left, including advocacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation express concerns about copyright infringement and the potential exploitation of artists’ work used to train AI models.
Having read a peer’s medium post about AI, I also agree that the most effective approach for AI Art models is to stay unbiased, considering their significant impact as media tools for users.
Conclusion
AI art presents a double-edged sword for the creative sector. While concerns exist about artist rights, job displacement, and misuse, AI also offers exciting possibilities for artistic exploration, increased efficiency, and democratisation of art creation.
By establishing ethical frameworks, embracing transparency and collaboration, we can ensure AI art flourishes responsibly and empowers artists.
