AI-Generated Art

As its name suggests, AI art is a relatively recent development of the field of digital art that utilizes artificial intelligence to generate artworks. Online AI art tools such as Night Cafe, Wombo AI, VQGAN+CLIP, and Midjourney typically generate an image based on a text prompt from the user, using an AI algorithm called a generative adversarial network (GAN). A GAN creates images using a “generator”, and then assesses whether those images are appropriate outputs for the prompt using a “discriminator”. Some tools also allow the user to select a style for the image to be based on; for example, Wombo AI has several different style options such as Melancholic, Ghibli, Baroque, Fantasy Art, and many more.

(image: homepage of Night Cafe)

(image: generated using VQGAN+CLIP)

As one might expect, the feelings towards AI art are varied. While AI art presents a plethora of new possibilities for the creation of digital art, there are debates over whether AI art is real art and whether those who “create” AI art using online generators should be considered artists. This controversy has been especially relevant recently due to an AI-generated artwork winning first place in a competition–specifically, the State Fair fine arts competition. Moreover, some believe AI art generators can act as a helpful tool for artists–for example, they can help artists find inspiration based on a specific prompt–while others point out the problems with plagiarism presented by AI art. Some art sharing platforms have completely banned AI art because of users wrongfully presenting it as their own artworks.

(image: AI art by Jason Allen that won first place in the State Fair fine arts competition)

The first attempts at using AI to create art date back to 1973, but the GAN was only developed in 2014. Today, AI art has become revolutionary–capable of creating incredibly detailed and beautiful artworks comparable to those of humans. The abilities and potential of AI art are still rapidly developing, and artificial intelligence will almost certainly become very significant in the field of art in the future.

More Examples of AI Art

(image: generated using WOMBO Dream)

(image: generated using Stability AI)

(image: generated using Midjourney)

Sources

• https://nightcafe.studio/blogs/info/what-is-the-first-ai-art-and-when-was-it-created

• https://magazine.artland.com/ai-art/

• https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220612-is-ai-the-future-of-art

• https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/09/flooded-with-ai-generated-images-some-art-communities-ban-them-completely/

• https://medium.com/mlearning-ai/5-ai-art-generators-you-should-know-about-ed1591cee3b9

• https://www.pcgamer.com/ai-artist-who-won-competition-says-art-world-is-in-denial-about-the-tech/