AI Art is NOT Real Art

Hey hey,

So we’re gonna talk about something a little different this time around. You may have heard of this thing called artificial intelligence. While it provides a perfect tool for those little tasks we don’t enjoy doing all the time, it can never replace the authenticity and feeling of doing the work yourself.

Because of AI, the art community has been hit with a pretty hard reality check. Here’s the problem. AI does not just come up with things on its own. AI has worked years and years traveling the internet and the information it has been fed to create results that adhere to what we want. AI is not a new thing.

Back in the 2010s, I remember playing a video game with my brother and when we weren’t playing online, we were playing against these AI “dummys". That’s actually how I learned about artificial intelligence in the first place but all it was, was a character in a game programmed to react and seem like a real player. Just as it is used today, just now it’s more advanced.

How does this hurt the art community you may ask? Well that’s the thing. Art is all about the human experience. The feeling of making the painting, the years it took to get that skill. What prompts us to put all this time into a painting. The thoughts that cross our minds as we are creating the piece and putting in every detail. People are now going around and calling themselves AI “artists”. Disregarding all of the work an artist has done to get to where they are. AI' “artists” think they are somehow on the same level.

AI art is NOT original, and that’s another problem. To create AI “art” the artificial intelligence is having to take the resources and work of other artists. Blending it all in a way that seems original but is only piecing together a completely stolen piece of work. And the artists who’s work gets stolen, get’s absolutely no credit or incentive.

The worst part? I have personally already seen the harm that AI “art” has done. Shame on Hobby Lobby but if you walk their aisles, you will see the AI “art” they are using. Most of their artworks on canvas are AI and you can see this if you look closely. Fingers don’t look right, textures in weird places. “What even is that?” kinda blobs. Art that is fully generated and taking away from the work of a true artist with the skill. And you may think, well it’ll at least be cheaper right? Since it was just generated and the art isn’t from a real artist? Nope, these pieces of art are the same price as any other. A complete rip-off to the consumer. Who does this help? The big corporation, not wanting to pay living wages and cutting corners in any way they can for profit. It’s outrageous.

What can you do to help? Well just do your best to support real art. Make artists feel seen and empowered in this AI takeover. Remind them that the journey as they make art that may not even be that good, is beautiful. It’s humane and AI cannot replace it. Art reflects life after all. Art shows our history, our stories, our culture. Deny the work of AI “art”. Know what is being taken advantage of when a big corporation cuts corners to provide AI “art”.

“Feed the Artist, Not the Algorithm” - Doris Rose Art

Now I can go on and on about this topic, but i’ll wrap this up. As a photographer, business owner and artist. I see the ways AI has completely taken over and created a world that is so unauthentic. People stealing others work. People cutting corners and not putting in the time. Kids not learning in school because “AI will do it for them”. It’s an epidemic and no one is looking to put limits. Why? Because big corporations and political figures are gaining from this.

Really think about it. (Without using AI)

“The creative part, the surprising part, the breaking-the-rules part -that is not AI. That is us.” - Seth Godin

Now go tell a real artist how much you love their work (they need it right now) <3

Chloe Conlin