AI and Art: A Revolutionary Intersection 

AI and Art fusion is a revolutionary intersection that reshapes how we consider creativity, expression, and even humanity. The impact of Artificial Intelligence on Art is to be understood in a broader sense, since it involves not only the sector of contemporary art, but also affects the wider market of visual arts, and therefore the authors of digital graphics, special effects, video art, virtual reality, immersive installations and interactive applications. But…

Can machines truly create art?

On the one hand, artificial intelligence has long been used by some contemporary artists for conceptual experimentation, elite research that investigate the new boundaries of art; on the other hand it extends the perimeter of the visual arts, because it can be used not only by the creative industry, but also by other figures that used to stay outside the field of image creation.  The final result is often surprising, complex and original, even if recognizable as artificial. The ease in production risks quickly creating a phenomenon of devaluation with which artists will have to measure themselves.

But let’s start from the beginning.

What is AI?

AI, short for Artificial Intelligence, is the capacity of any artificial system to simulate human intelligence and behaviours through the optimization of mathematical functions. Particularly it is  a field of research in computer sciences which studies and develops methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximise their chances of achieving defined goals.

• What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning? – Science Made Easy

What is AI’s History?

From the invention of the camera obscura during the Renaissance to the development of photography in the 19th century, we know that technological advancements have consistently expanded the possibilities to express art. Today, AI represents the latest frontier in this collaboration between technology and creativity. It was founded as an academic discipline in 1956, coined by John McCarthy. He drove the development of the first AI programming language, LISP, in the 1960s. Early AI systems were rule-centric, which led to progress of more complex systems along with a boost in funding.

What does AI have to do with Art?

When the action field of AI becomes that of aesthetics, this question takes on slightly more complex issues. While the resolution of mathematical problems, the comprehension of written and spoken language, the recognition of image content can be broken down into logical operations, Artistic Creation is considered a purely Human Domain, the last area of our capabilities apparently beyond the reach of AI.

The Role of AI in Modern Art

At the core of AI development in Modern Art there is Machine Learning (ML), a part of AI that allows machines to learn from data, recognize patterns, and make decisions with minimal human intervention.

One of the most exciting applications of AI in art is generative art. This form of art uses algorithms to generate images, music, and other forms of creative content based on a set of predefined rules or data inputs. The algorithm creates new, often unexpected, pieces of art. Generative models such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have become particularly influential in this field.

GANs consist of two neural networks: a generator and a discriminator. The generator creates images, while the discriminator evaluates them against a dataset of real images.

• Brian Gormley’s Introspective Art
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Examples of AI-Generated Art

It’s the name of the first portrait created using artificial intelligence to be sold at auction. In 2018, Edmond de Belamy was exchanged for $432,500, far exceeding its initial estimate. The painting was created by a GAN trained on a dataset of historical portraits.

Developed by Google engineer Alexander Mordvintsev in 2015, DeepDream is a computer visual program that transforms existing images by enhancing patterns and features, often resulting in surreal, dream-like appearances. Artists and designers have used DeepDream to generate psychedelic images from photos, creating a unique artistic genre.

Ai-Da is the world’s first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist. She is capable of drawing and painting using cameras in her eyes, AI algorithms and her robotic arm. Since Ai-Da’s creation in February 2019, her works of art have been displayed in galleries, inspiring passionate arguments about whether AI robots can be considered true artists.

Unsupervised is the work of Refik Anadol, an American-Turkish visual artist. It is his most notable work, part of the series Machine Hallucinations and was exhibited at MoMA in New York from November 2022 until October 2023. It comes from a question: “What would a machine mind dream of after “seeing” the vast collection of The Museum of Modern Art?”. According to Machine Hallucinations, the big project in which Unsupervised is located, the fundamental questions that the artist investigates in this series of visual and immersive works are: “Can a machine hallucinate? Can it dream?”.

Refik Anadol

The huge amounts of data are managed by AI whose machine learning mechanisms are, as the title of the work suggests, unsupervised: the neural network automatically processes and labels inputs, which are supplied to it, according to parameters developed completely autonomously without any human intervention.

Documentation of Unsupervised — Machine Hallucinations — MoMA

The work is presented to the public as a continuous projection that leads to performance, which is constituted in the territory of the dream and the autonomous hallucination, never equal to itself, of a machine whose memory preserves the entire collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

Creativity: A Uniquely Human Trait or AI as a Creative Assistant?

Some people may think that creativity is one characteristic of the human identity package that no one will be able to steal. You would ask: Why? Because creativity is an expression of individual thought, emotion, experience. It is a completely subjective and unique trait that differs in each of us. AI lacks true creativity because it does not have an experienced background full of emotions and intentions, therefore AI results may be aesthetically stunning, but won’t have the deeper human touch that gives art its emotional aspect.

Others may support that AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity. Indeed AI offers artists new methods for exploration and expression of art, by automating certain aspects of the creative process.

Moreover, creativity is not only about emotion and experience but also problem-solving, experimentation and innovation: fields where AI excels. So at this point we understand that the creativity concept itself, depending on the meaning, leads people to divergent points of view.

What we humans, for our psychological limits, are not able to create, but can understand; the machine, conversely, is able to create but not understand. (Lev Manovich)

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The Problem of Authorship and Ownership

If an artist uses an AI-generated image, is their work theirs? Here comes the huge question about intellectual property: Who owns the copyright? Is it the developer of the AI, the artist who trained it, or the machine itself? However, because AI Art is such a recently developed concept, its regulation in terms of legal protection is still questionable, as it is difficult to assess the full extent to which AI will be used in creative works. For the moment:

If a person or team contributed enough inputs which could be considered creative enough in the formation of the work, then they would own the copyright. If the design, however, is attributed mainly to the program (artificial intelligence), then the work is not copyrighted and belongs purely in the public domain. (EU Artificial Intelligence Act)

Additionally, the widespread adoption of AI tools in the creative industries may lead to job displacement for artists, designers, and other professionals who rely only on manual techniques, but there is hope for everyone and below it will be discussed.

WIll AI steal the Artist’s Job?

The future of AI and Art is full of possibilities. As AI technology continues to evolve, it will likely play a more important role in shaping art, to its best potential. One exciting development in AI Art concerns personalised art and interactive experiences. By relying on the help of artificial intelligence, artists can create works that respond to viewers in real-time. AI-driven installations and exhibits might change based on the spectator’s emotions or movements, creating a deeply personalised experience between artist and audience.

Another thing that might be interesting is Technology and Creativity collaboration: AI Art projects all over the world. We may see human artists and AI systems working together and treated as equals. This approach could lead to hybrid innovative works of art that combine the human factor with machine intelligence in some unpredictable ways.

Everyone can try AI Art

Nowadays there are many tools where you can try AI Art, having fun and liberating your creativity in a new world. You simply have to insert your vision into words and the AI tool will let your idea come to life instantly. For example, tools like Adobe Sensei use AI streamline design tasks such as image editing, colour correction and layout suggestions. Similarly, Midjourney, exclusively available through Discord, is an AI platform known for its vibrant colours and rich textures, thanks to which you can create lifelike representations. If you want to have fun creating avatars or product backgrounds, MyEdit suits perfectly for all your needs.

Would you try AI Art? Did you know some relevant AI works of art that weren’t mentioned before?