Artificial Intelligence and Art

Etienne Kiss-Borlase AI and Art

The world of technology is advancing each day. As artificial intelligence becomes more of a reality, there are many industries that are likely to be affected by the machine. While the finance and healthcare fields begin to prepare, there is one industry that many never considered to be impacted by AI. Art is something that lingered on the human brain and comes from the most creative minds of our times.

Many experts in AI feel as though the connection between art and machine will be a true testament to a collaborative environment. Although creativity is something that many people feel as though they don’t have, AI could help spark a fire within. Often, people don’t have the ability to express their thoughts on a piece of paper. The hope is that artificial intelligence will have the algorithm that works best for the artist and help them to discover new ideas.

Artificial intelligence is already becoming a part of the art world. Through the use of romance novels, algorithms have trained the AI in the art of poetry. Certain robots have also shown their artistic abilities in the Robot Art Competition. Some of the pieces were so intricate, they look as though completed by a human. Many artists and AI experts have mixed emotions about the emergence of the machine in the art industry. Of course, the fear comes from the idea of technology replacing people. On the contrary, human-made items will end up becoming an item of the utmost value. Hand crafted items will become a luxury compared to the ones that a machine is pumping out.

Along with the concerns of authenticity comes the question regarding authorship. Jon McCormack used AI in creating one of his art series of digital plants. McCormack considers himself the artist although the machine is who created the pieces of work. As AI continues to develop, the artist will be able to truly test their capacity. Right now the machines can only complete what they have been trained to do. The non-human aspect of art created by AI is something many believe will hinder the collaboration.

One day, AI could in a way, bring art and artists back to life. New Beatles songs could come about by using samples of the members who have passed. Van Gogh’s style could be memorized by the machine and his creativity then live on. It comes down to the authenticity and emotion we feel from the art that currently exists. Unless the art that AI produces can trigger raw emotion, humans will continue to be the inferior artists.