The Impact of AI on Art Creation in 2024

Artificial intelligence has recently appeared in every aspect of our lives. In 2024, AI will be used every day for creativity, especially in the field of art. Since AI was created in the 1950s, artists and researchers have used artificial intelligence to create works of art. These works are sometimes called algorithmic art, computer art, digital art, or new media. It continues to redefine artistic creativity by allowing artists to explore new techniques, generate new ideas, and streamline workflows. This fosters collaboration between human artists and AI systems, pushing the boundaries of creativity and expression. AI-generated art is gaining recognition and sparking discussions about the nature of authorship and creativity.

Let's take a deeper look at the impact of AI on art creation;

Firstly, AI provides tools for creativity, AI-based tools such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Style Transfer Algorithms provide artists with new ways to experiment with style, texture, and shape. Additionally, artists can use style transfer to apply characteristics of famous artists such as Van Gogh or Picasso to their work, creating a unique blend of styles. These tools can even complete the unfinished works of famous artists. They can streamline the creative process by automating repetitive tasks like color correction, image enhancement, and even layout suggestions. This allows artists to focus more on ideation and experimentation, thereby speeding up their work and increasing their productivity.

Secondly, AI allows artists to explore mediums they may not have previously considered. For example, some artists are experimenting with creating art using machine learning models trained in natural language processing, generating poetry or AI-generated narratives. Artists are increasingly collaborating with AI systems, viewing them as creative partners rather than just tools. This collaboration can lead to unexpected results and push the boundaries of what is considered traditional art.

An image based on the text prompt "a photograph of an astronaut riding a horse" by Stable Diffusion

Thirdly, AI democratizes artistic creation by making it more accessible to people of different artistic backgrounds. With AI-powered tools, people with no formal art training can still create engaging and visually appealing works of art. AI's impact on artistic creativity in 2024 is multifaceted, from practical improvements to philosophical debates about the nature of creativity. Artists are using AI as a tool for innovation and personal expression, leading to a dynamic and evolving art scene. However, this new technological development causes disadvantages for artists.

First of all, AI can lead to a loss of authenticity. AI-generated art can sometimes lack the authenticity and emotional depth that comes from human experience and expression. This can lead to a disconnect between artists and their audiences, as viewers may view AI-generated art as objective or superficial. Additionally, the widespread adoption of AI tools in artistic creation could lead to uniformity in artistic style and aesthetics. If artists rely too much on AI-generated content or follow popular trends created by AI algorithms, it could lead to a loss of diversity and originality in the art world.

Secondly, ethical concerns arise about this topic, especially when it comes to issues of copyright, ownership, and intellectual property. Determining the rightful owner of an AI-generated work of art can be difficult, especially if multiple people or AI systems were involved in its creation. Questions about who owns the rights to AI-generated art and whether AI can be creative are being debated in the art world. There are serious issues regarding property rights.

In January 2023, three artists – Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz – filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt, claiming that legally, consent is required of artists before training the neural network for their work and that these companies violated the rights of millions of artists by doing so concerning five billion images scraped from the Web. In July 2023, U.S. District Judge William Orrick tended to dismiss most of the lawsuits filed by Andersen, McKernan, and Ortiz but allowed them to be refiled. Also in 2023, Stability AI was sued by Getty Images for using its images in training data.

In March 2024, Tennessee enacted the ELVIS Act, which prohibits the use of AI to imitate musicians' voices without permission. A month later that year, Adam Schiff introduced the Innovative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, which if passed, would require AI companies to submit copyrighted works in their data sets to the Registry copyright before releasing innovative new AI systems.

Finally, job loss is another concern. As AI technology advances, it will likely lead to a shift in the work of artists, especially those whose work can be easily replicated or automated by AI systems. This may disproportionately affect artists who rely on traditional artistic mediums or techniques. For instance, AI-generated works of art, such as Spatial Opera Theater, a text-to-image AI illustration that won the grand prize in the August 2022 digital art competition at the Fair The state of Colorado, began to dominate art competitions and other entries. Also, The Netflix short The Dog & The Boy, released in January 2023, received backlash online for using artificial intelligence art to create the film's background artwork.

Jason Allen’s A.I.-generated work, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” took first place in the digital category at the Colorado State Fair.

Overall, while AI offers exciting opportunities for artists, enhancing their creativity and speeding up the production process, they must consider these potential limitations and strike a balance between exploiting AI tools and preserving authenticity.