AI Is Art — The Tool Changed. The Artist Didn’t.
I keep hearing the same argument: “Artificial Intelligence (Ai) art isn’t really art.” I disagree. Strongly. Dang it!
People have always made art with tools. A pencil is a tool. A paintbrush is a tool. A camera is a tool. Photoshop is a tool. Procreate is a tool. A projector is a tool. A sewing machine is a tool. And now, artificial intelligence is another tool. The tool does not determine whether something is art. The human intention behind it does.
When photography was new, people argued that it wasn’t art because the camera was doing the work. When digital art arrived, some traditional artists dismissed it because there was no paint on a canvas. When quilters began using computerized sewing machines and digital fabric printing, the technology changed—but creativity didn’t disappear. We adapted. That’s what artists do. Dang it!
AI Doesn’t Replace My Imagination
AI doesn’t wake up in the morning with something it desperately wants to say. I do. It doesn’t have my memories, my sense of humor, my experiences, my family, my travels, my mistakes, my curiosity or my slightly strange way of looking at the world. I think we’re asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Did AI make this?” Maybe we should ask: Did a human being have something to express? Did they make creative decisions? Did they explore, edit, select, combine, transform or direct? Did the finished piece communicate something? Did it make somebody stop, smile, laugh, wonder, remember or feel? If it did, I’m comfortable calling it art. The history of art is filled with people picking up new tools and being told they were doing it wrong. Then eventually, the new tool simply became another way of making art. I suspect AI will be no different.
Time
Yes it takes less time overall. However don’t forget it took hours to create the prompt to make Ai create whatever you want. The image above of Mariposa designing on her iPad, includes a quote it took time to figure out. Every color and texture took time, and prompting accurately is a skilled art . The opening image of this post took over 8 hours and 4 pages of specific prompts. The image at the end took 5 minutes using the tool I built. It’s still art.
Think of it this way…
This isn’t new, in fact it goes back centuries. Do you think Micheal Angelo and Leonardo DaVinci hand sketched and singed every stroke of their work? Do you think Cocoa Chanel didn’t have apprentices and laborers? They all get credit for the whole piece of art individually. They conceived and executed the art using all kinds of tools and help. They get full credit as the artist. Ai is just another tool.
For me…
So I’m going to keep drawing. I’m going to keep painting. I’m going to keep taking photographs. Ai is an amazing tool I have added. I am still the artist! Please avoid claiming Ai is Cheating. Dang it!
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