AI no longer just generates images on user request, like OpenAI’s DALL-E or Midjourney, but also becomes a professional artist. In particular, in 2018, at the auction of the oldest auction house Christie’s, a painting created by a neural network was first sold for 432.5 thousand dollars, and four years later the world’s first exhibition in San Francisco, where co-authored works on technology were presented.
For several years now, AI has changed not only the process of creating works, but also the perception of art itself, said Elizaveta Goncharova, a researcher at the FusionBrain laboratory at the AIRI Institute. First, neural networks allow artists to experiment with new styles and forms. Second, work created by AI is attracting increasing interest from the general public due, in part, to widespread interest in these technologies.
“These works provoke debates about the limits of creativity and authorship, as well as opening up new opportunities for artists who use AI as a tool to create unique works,” said Andrey Svintsov, vice-chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the State Duma, IT. and Communications.
In addition, AI “democratizes” the process of creating paintings, since now a person does not have to be a professional artist to show his creativity, added Konstantin Popov, general director of 3D PLATFORM, resident of Skolkovo, founder of the 3D Museum of National. Costumes of the Russian Empire.
“When a new technology appears, especially media technology, a certain space of freedom and experimentation emerges around it, when its use is not yet regulated by law, and large corporations have not “put their paws” on it, but as that AI technologies continue. To develop rapidly, we see a unique situation, when there is both experimentation and pragmatic use of AI in the production and consumption system,” says Alexey Shulgin, curator of the digital section of Cosmoscow-2024.
Svintsov believes that the potential of AI in art is enormous, but the question of creative intent still remains. If there is no human participation here, the paintings will lose their emotional and philosophical depth.
“AI can be developed as an autonomous tool, but an important part of the process is the synergy between machine and man, where the artist directs the algorithm and is not limited to observing his work,” the interlocutor emphasized.
In addition, now, to obtain an interesting and unusual generation, the user must practice quick engineering: pointing out with the model the important accents in the image, for example, the location of the light, Goncharova clarified.
“Of course, the emergence of AI is a step towards progress. What happens is that once again (as happened after the invention of photography and then the Internet), art must be rethought and artists must leave what AI can do to neural networks. to do and do something new,” adds Shulgin.
Despite the fact that developers periodically update neural networks, train them on new material and adjust the necessary parameters, there is still a risk of obtaining a large amount of secondary and mutually similar work. According to Popov, this is enough to illustrate posts on social networks, but it is unlikely that you will be able to become a real “master” of AI. Rather, it will be an “imitator” of the works of real artists.
The interlocutor compared image generators to the once popular mobile applications that stylized photographs like paintings by famous artists. From an everyday point of view, people received the same tool, which became more manageable and customizable. Thanks to this, the mass user, of course, can engage in the creation of high-quality graphic content.
Speaking about real specialists, Svintsov stated that AI will not replace them.
“Art has always been an expression of human emotions, experiences and perception of the world, which is difficult for an algorithm to reproduce,” he says.
In the future, the machine will begin to cooperate more actively with a person, complementing his talent, the interlocutor is sure.
“AI should be considered as a new, partially autonomous, but still tool, which in the hands of a person will open a unique type of work of art, reflecting the inner world of its creator,” Goncharova concluded.
