Will AI algorithms and robots like Ai-Da spell the end of human creativity and artistry?
The rise of Artificial Intelligence has captivated many with its remarkable capabilities. However, the emergence of image generators such as DALL·E 2, Midjourney, and Lensa has stirred up concerns and debates within the creative community. From marketing experts to artists, questions arise about the future of human imagination and creativity in the face of these technological advancements.
In a serene drawing room within a grand estate in rural Oxfordshire, a scene unfolds before me. An artist, clad in dungarees, meticulously crafts a portrait on canvas. Each stroke of the pen contributes to an abstract representation of herself. Yet, this artist is no ordinary individual - she is Ai-Da, the world's first #humanoid robot artist. Ai-Da's very presence challenges our conventional notions of artistry, prompting a reevaluation of what constitutes art and who, or what, possesses the ability to create it.
As we witness the evolution of AI algorithms and robotic artists like Ai-Da, a pressing question emerges: "Will these innovations mark the demise of human creativity and artistic expression, or can they serve as tools to enhance our own imaginative capacities?" The intersection of technology and art beckons us to contemplate the future landscape of creativity and the symbiotic relationship between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence.
Debates have long swirled around the adoption of new tools for artistic creation. Artists historically resisted innovations like the camera, viewing them as threats to human creativity. Similarly, purists in the 20th century criticized digital editing and computer-assisted design for relying too much on untrained collaborators. In 2018, the groundbreaking sale of the painting "Portrait of Edmond Belamy," crafted by artificial intelligence, marked a significant milestone. The piece fetched over half a million dollars at Christie's, signaling a pivotal moment in the art world. However, compared to today's advanced image generators, the portrait appeared rather basic.
Artistic movements throughout history have always mirrored the cultural zeitgeist, capturing society's concerns and obsessions. From Turner's industrial landscapes to Da Vinci's scientific explorations, art has reflected societal preoccupations. Artificial intelligence, exemplified by Ai-Da, created by gallerist Aidan Meller and researcher Lucy Seal, is no exception. Ai-Da embodies contemporary fears surrounding AI's potential to replace human jobs and dominate industries.
Though it’s true that some AI can generate large amounts of text, images, or audio at an astonishing speed, it’s important to mention that much of the never-before-seen output comes down to the formulation of the prompt which AI algorithms use to create outcomes in the first place. Prompts are the key human-level elements to interacting with AI tools and are the bases for instructing them. The machine-learning processes used to train generative AI algorithms may be a creative process in themselves.
"Code exposed to data – existing artworks, for example – is able to learn, mutate and evolve," says du Sautoy. "It means that the code by the end of this learning process is very different from the original code written by the human. This means that there is a chance for the code to produce something that... deserves to be called the creativity of the code rather than the human who started the process.
Margaret Boden, a researcher in cognitive science at the University of Sussex in the UK, has developed one of the most widely accepted definitions of creativity to date. She sees it as the ability to generate ideas that are new, valuable and surprising. Using this definition, the works produced by machines like Ai-Da could be considered creative, argue her creators.
AI's impact on art and data ownership is a pressing issue explored by artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. Their recent exhibition at London's Serpentine Gallery delved into collaborative artwork in the AI era, addressing data misuse and authorship concerns. The duo co-founded Spawning AI, a tool suite empowering human creators to control AI's use of their works and detect any references in AI-generated content.
Serpentine Arts Technologies has been pivotal in understanding how artists engage with AI systems since its establishment in 2014. Noteworthy AI projects from the program include works by artists like Cécile B Evans (2014-2019), Ian Cheng (2018), James Bridle (2016 – 2021), Jenna Sutela (2019), Pierre Huyghe (2018 – 2019), Hito Steyerl (2019), Daisy Ginsberg (2022 – 2024) and Refik Anadol (2024), bridging virtual and physical realms.
For Herndon and Dryhurst, AI serves as a 'coordination technology,' akin to the historical role of group singing in communication rituals. The exhibition featured choral AI models trained with choirs across the UK, using hymns and singing exercises composed by the artists. These models were developed through a choral dataset tour in Spring 2024, capturing performances from various cities like Belfast, Leeds, Bristol, and Beith.
The convergence of art, AI, and data ownership highlights the evolving landscape of creativity and technology, sparking conversations on authorship and the collaborative possibilities in the digital age. The integration of AI in art raises ethical complexities that warrant attention. Questions on authorship, ownership, and recognizing creators emerge as AI systems create artworks. Debates on reproducing, distributing, and crediting inspirations from existing art spark discussions on intellectual property and copyright dilemmas. Addressing biases and stereotypes in AI-generated art is crucial to avoid perpetuating harmful narratives unintentionally. AI art introduces new forms of expression while provoking considerations on the conventional roles of imagination and subjectivity in art. The debate on machines' ability to generate truly innovative aesthetics emphasizes human input in molding the future of AI art.
Next Week: #Cyberattacks – the #Demogorgon of art
Dipayan has been a digital transformation consultant and advisor for over two decades to large multinational firms, with a keen interest in data and AI and a patent in cognitive AI and blockchain. He has worked with clients across Asia Pacific, EMEA and Americas. He is also a practising internationally acclaimed abstract artist for over a decade. His works are shown across various galleries and museums in New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dubai and India, awarded in Florence and Venice, and have been included in numerous private art collections in New York, London, Kolkata and Mumbai. He lives and works out of Mumbai in India