The Future of Creative Domination by Generative AI

On the morning of March 18, 2023 at 8:20 AM, the following blog post was written.

Come and attend a gathering of elite executives in San Francisco, California on July 11-12. Discover firsthand how experienced leaders are effectively incorporating and perfecting their AI investments to achieve success. Obtain further understanding about this event.

The utilization of artificial intelligence in creating various media has become widespread. Prior to the much-hyped release of OpenAI's ChatGPT, their research lab was already making waves in the art and design community with its generative AI system, DALL-E. This technology enables anyone to easily generate images of their desired subjects by only inputting a few words or phrases.

During the last few months, over one million individuals have registered for the DALL-E beta service. In addition, the company plans to make it even more accessible by providing an API. This allows creators, developers and enterprises to use the technology extensively and discover its creative possibilities. Moreover, AI-generated artwork has been creating waves in various cultural domains. From Christie's selling a generatively produced portrait for a high price in 2018 to the recent contentious award of the top prize to an AI artwork in a competition for emerging artists.

Keep up to date with VentureBeat's ongoing coverage of generative AI.

Artificial intelligence has recently been introduced to the uppermost levels of the art industry, while approachable AI software such as DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and Lensa are on the rise. Due to this, there is a resurgence of debate regarding creative production and ownership, and efforts are being made to provide practical answers to questions that used to be seen as theoretical. For example, what sets apart a machine-made painting from an actual work of art? How can we assign meaning and value to art as creators, curators, collectors, and consumers? Most importantly, what kind of impact will generative AI technology have on human creativity and artistic expression in the future?

Come and join us in San Francisco on the 11th and 12th of July. You will hear from high-level managers about their experiences implementing and fine-tuning AI investments to achieve success and avoid the usual challenges.

The Unpredictability of Art

In "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Walter Benjamin expressed how technology in the modern world has made art lose its original meaning by separating it from its traditional, ritualistic, and holy contexts. This has resulted in art being consistently revised, duplicated, and enhanced as a part of its artistic process, causing it to no longer embody eternal standards of magnificence and artistic principles. Instead, modern art highlights ever-changing conditions and unpredictability, reflecting a constant shift in values and perspectives.

When it comes to art generated by AI, we can see this instability in the form of liquid, deformed, and low-quality works that generative adversarial networks (GANs) create. These pieces can also be quite unsettling.

As expected, artists and creators have received a lot of criticism due to generative art. Many believe that this type of art is plagiarism and that it puts human artists' creative power and ability to make money at risk. However, some famous designers, such as Jessica Walsh, are not as worried about these concerns. According to Walsh, "Whenever a tool threatens people's job, there will always be some pushback. Nevertheless, we must face the truth that AI is already present, and it will keep growing in the creative industry."

In the world of music, modern technology has drastically transformed the industry. A prime example would be digital alteration, which has become the standard for most musicians. Artists such as Brian Eno and Aphex Twin have gained widespread recognition over the last few decades by harnessing innovative methods like using computers and tape loops to produce ambient and generative music respectively. Sampling, which involves incorporating pre-existing recordings into new compositions, is a fundamental aspect of modern music genres like hip hop, pop and electronic music. Fast forward to the year 2022, and it's evident that autotune and compression are the modus operandi for most top-selling pop artists. These technological innovations essentially serve as a corrective mechanism for any vocal mishaps during the production stage, providing a smoother and polished sound.

Give credit where credit is deserved.

A lot of people have been discussing who should get credit for artworks created using algorithms, coding, and photo editing software. It's usually not common to give credit to the tools used to make the art, like Photoshop or different hardware, but that might start to change. Sometimes, AI-generated artwork will even have a "signature" made up of code or text, just like how human artists sign their name to show that they made the art.

The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence in creating images has resulted in tech giants, such as Adobe, Microsoft, and Canva, introducing their own generative product features. However, Getty Images, a large-scale image hosting site, has taken a different approach by declaring that all AI-generated content will be prohibited from its servers. Nonetheless, the site acknowledges that enforcing this policy will depend on users reporting any images deemed "fake."

With the rapid spread of generative AI technology in both creative and business fields, is it possible that editing through AI will become so normal that it becomes a mandatory aspect of producing art, like film photographers using Lightroom or filters? Alternatively, proponents of generative AI believe that this technology can empower artists by enhancing their production capacity and accessibility, ultimately fostering creativity and innovation.

A different perspective that we can use to try and figure out how AI will be involved in creative industries in the future is by looking at the argument around genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food. We currently label food products as organic or GMO-free, so could we one day label creative works as completely generated, partially enhanced, or made without any digital technology?

Perhaps a more pertinent issue is whether we can discern between art made by artificial intelligence or humans, and if it even matters. According to a 2017 survey conducted by Rutgers University, the majority of respondents had difficulty discerning a strong preference between AI-generated and human-made art. In terms of personal taste, the ability to differentiate between human and AI creations could be seen as a measure of refinement and sophistication.

What Are the Possible Outcomes of Generative AI Art?

If we place importance on creative thinking that originates from people, will machines eventually take over and become the dominant source of creativity? Or will the rise of artificial intelligence bring about a change in cultural and economic values, breaking down the barrier between human and machine-generated art similar to what has happened in the music industry? This shift in preferences and attitudes towards art production and consumption will have far-reaching consequences.

In his essay "Work of Art", which is nearly a hundred years old, Benjamin implies that the essence of art is to go beyond the boundaries set by the technical norms of its era. This means that art is not merely a product of technology, but rather a creative force that impels progress and a desire for a world that has yet to surface.

Brendan Cieko established and is currently the leader of Cuseum.

Greetings to all members of the VentureBeat community!

DataDecisionMakers is a platform where knowledgeable individuals, including those who specialize in data processing, can exchange insights and novel ideas related to data.

If you're searching for the latest and most recent knowledge, ideal methods, and the advancement of data and data tech, come and be a part of DataDecisionMakers.

You could also ponder about furnishing an essay for yourself!

Explore Further on DataDecisionMakers