Artificial intelligence may liberate artists from the sometimes arduous process of creating art. What will be left then as the essence of art is the personal human sensation of connection between the human ‘artist’, the human ‘beholder’, their peer group and a universal sense of being human.

There is an interesting quote from Picasso about the advent of photography in his days, and the liberating effect it had on artists, in his opinion:

Photography has arrived at the point where it is capable of liberating painting from all literature, from the anecdote, and even from the subject. In any case, a certain aspect of the subject now belongs to the domain of photography. So shouldn’t painters profit from their newly acquired liberty, and make use of it to do other things?

It made me think. We are going through a comparable transition at this moment with AI, Artificial Intelligence.

Currently, there is a lot of debate about providers of so-called generative AI applications, such as OpenAI with GhatGPT. The basic discours is about these parties supposedly stealing the work of artists – writers, musicians, painters, video artists, mainly – in using data representing the art works – text in PDF, music in MP3, visuals in JPG, for instance.

I am afraid, that the trend is unstoppable. AI will progress, and it will eventually become as good as or better than human artists in writing stories, writing music or creating images.

But the key question is: what exactly is ‘good’ or ‘better’? Personally, I believe that we will go through a process similar to that with the advent of photography. Yes, of course, photography has changed painting. One can easily say, that photography – at least – contributed to the birth of abstract art.

How will AI change art?

So, for me, the really relevant question would be: how will AI change art? Will AI liberate artists in a similar way as photography did?

Will AI liberate artists?

So, that’s the big qestion here. Will AI really liberate artists? And, if so, from what?

Picasso claimed photography could “liberate painting from all literature, from the anecdote, and even from the subject”. So, what does that even mean, really? Was it his justification for abstract art? Maybe. At least, photography did liberate painting from copying reality. But that trend was already started by the impressionists, and even as early as Frans Hals. Photography definitely accelerated the process, though. And, photography became an artform in itself, next to painting and drawing.

The least thing photography did was, indeed, liberate painters from their efforts to copy reality, with or without artistic twist in editing the photo. Although, even copying reality is still practiced in painting.

So, again, from what will AI liberate artists?

Guess what … I asked AI! I asked ChatGPT “how can artists use artificial intelligence”. Here’s what ChatGPT generated:

Artists can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of innovative and transformative ways. Here are several key applications:

1. Generative Art:
– AI Algorithms: Artists can use algorithms like GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) to create new artworks. These systems can generate images, music, and even poetry that can either stand alone as finished works or be incorporated into larger projects.
– Style Transfer: This technique allows artists to apply the style of one image (like a famous painting) to another, creating unique combinations and visual effects.

2. Enhanced Creativity:
– Idea Generation: AI tools can help artists brainstorm and generate new ideas by providing unusual combinations or suggesting new concepts based on patterns and data analysis.
– Collaboration: Artists can collaborate with AI as a creative partner, where AI contributes to the creative process by suggesting compositions, color schemes, or design elements.

3. Automation of Repetitive Tasks:
– Image and Video Editing: AI can automate time-consuming tasks like background removal, color correction, and object recognition, allowing artists to focus more on the creative aspects of their work.
– Pattern Recognition: AI can quickly analyze large datasets to identify trends and patterns, which can be useful in various artistic disciplines, including music and visual arts.

4. Interactive Art:
– Responsive Installations: AI can be used to create interactive installations that respond to viewers’ actions or emotions. This can involve using sensors, cameras, and machine learning algorithms to interpret and react to audience behavior.
– Virtual and Augmented Reality: AI enhances VR and AR experiences by creating more realistic and responsive virtual environments.

5. Personalized Art Experiences:
– Customized Artwork: AI can generate personalized artworks based on individual preferences, creating unique pieces tailored to specific tastes.
– Adaptive Learning: AI can learn from user interactions to continually refine and adapt the artistic experience, making it more engaging and relevant.

6. Restoration and Preservation:
– Art Restoration: AI can assist in the restoration of damaged artworks by predicting and filling in missing or damaged parts based on existing data.
– Digital Preservation: AI helps in digitizing and preserving artworks, ensuring that they can be accessed and appreciated by future generations.

7. Data-Driven Insights:
– Market Analysis: AI can analyze art market trends, helping artists understand what types of works are in demand and how to price their art.
– Audience Engagement: AI tools can track and analyze how audiences interact with art, providing valuable insights into engagement and preferences.

8. Education and Training:
– Skill Development: AI-driven applications can offer personalized training and tutorials, helping artists develop new skills and techniques.
– Feedback and Critique: AI can provide constructive feedback on artworks, helping artists improve their work through objective analysis.

By integrating AI into their creative processes, artists can push the boundaries of traditional art forms, explore new mediums and techniques, and enhance their productivity and creativity.

Next, I asked ChatGPT “what techniques exist for transforming digital artworks into physical artworks, e.g. digital images into a painting with paint on canvas or a 3D model into a sculpture”. It generated this answer:

Transforming digital artworks into physical artworks involves various techniques and technologies, allowing artists to bring their digital creations into the tangible world. Here are some of the prominent methods:

1. Digital Printing:
– Giclée Printing: High-quality inkjet printing used to produce fine art prints on canvas or paper. Giclée prints can replicate digital images with rich colors and fine details.
– Direct to Garment Printing: Allows digital images to be printed directly onto textiles, such as t-shirts or fabric for wall hangings.

2. Projection Mapping:
– Digital Projection: Uses projectors to display digital images onto physical surfaces. This technique is often used for temporary installations or interactive artworks.

3. Robotic Painting:
– Robotic Arms: Robots equipped with paintbrushes can replicate digital images by painting them onto canvas. These robots can be programmed to mimic brushstrokes and techniques of traditional painting.
– AI-Assisted Painting Tools: Software combined with robotic hardware can interpret digital art and recreate it using traditional painting techniques.

4. Laser Engraving and Cutting:
– Laser Cutters: Can engrave or cut designs from digital files onto various materials, such as wood, metal, glass, or acrylic. This is useful for creating intricate designs and detailed artworks.

5. 3D Printing:
– Additive Manufacturing: Transforms 3D digital models into physical objects by layering material, usually plastic, resin, or metal. 3D printers can create highly detailed sculptures and prototypes.
– Full-Color 3D Printing: Advanced 3D printers can produce sculptures with full-color capabilities, bringing digital models to life with realistic textures and colors.

6. CNC Milling:
– Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Milling: Machines controlled by computer programs can carve digital designs into solid materials such as wood, stone, or metal, creating detailed sculptures and reliefs.

7. Photo Etching:
– Etching onto Metal or Glass: Uses light-sensitive chemicals and exposure to UV light to transfer digital images onto metal or glass surfaces, creating intricate and precise designs.

8. Screen Printing:
– Serigraphy: Involves creating a stencil (or screen) from a digital image and using it to apply ink onto various surfaces, such as fabric, paper, or canvas. This method is popular for creating multiple copies of a single artwork.

9. Electroforming:
– Metal Coating: A technique where a digital model can be used to create a mold, which is then coated with metal through an electrochemical process. This can be used to create metallic sculptures from digital designs.

10. Plotter Drawing:
– Pen Plotters: Machines that use pens to draw digital designs onto paper or other flat surfaces. These plotters can replicate complex line work and patterns from digital files.

11. Custom Fabrication Services:
– Professional Art Fabricators: Companies that specialize in turning digital designs into physical artworks using various methods, including casting, welding, and assembly.

By employing these techniques, artists can effectively bridge the gap between the digital and physical realms, creating tangible representations of their digital artworks that can be displayed, sold, and appreciated in the real world.

Wow! So, there really are ‘a zillion’ ways for artists to use AI and tools to create art … in every step of the artistic process, from inspiration, ideation, creation, production, marketing, sales, and all intermediate steps.

One may say, AI and production techniques liberate artists from … everything?

So, then … what is the future of art, artwork, artists?

General belief among artists has been that machines will never be creative. Creativity would be the unique value that humans can bring into art. Creativity as the last resort for artists. Well, I’m not so sure. If you look at the wild ideas that are generated by some AI algorithms, I start to doubt it. And, this is only the beginning. Where will ‘artificial creativity’ stand in five years, ten years? That seems a lost battle.

But, there is something else.

Interaction between artist and beholder through the artwork

Yes, there is something else. Since Alois Riegl’s introduction of the ‘beholder’s share’, a lot of focus in the art world has shifted from the artwork per se (or the artist per se) to the interaction between the artwork and the ‘beholder’, the observer, as an individual or the general public. Now, I like to think that with the advent of artificial intelligence and automated production techniques, focus will shift towards the interaction between artist and beholder. Or maybe, between artist, beholder and the shared reality they create to shape themselves.

Why do I think so? Well, the last thousand years or so, a shift has been taking place. It is the process of demystification of the world around us through scientific insights. It all started with Copernicus, who discovered that Earth circles the Sun instead of the other way around, demystifying much of the world view that was created by the Catholic Church, resulting in a ‘war’ with the Pope. Such trend breaks happened a number of times in history, dramatically changing our collective worldview. Well, at least for the majority of people. Darwin showed that we are apes that happened to be adaptive enough to survive and rule the world. Freud showed that we largely live in the world of our own figments of imagination, often driven by primal urges. Crick et al. showed that most of our properties are stored in a large molecule. And so on.

AI once more shows us that we are not as special as we always wanted to believe

The point is, that maybe we are not so special as we always wanted to believe. And the advent of artificial intelligence is merely the next step in that process. AI clearly demonstrates that maybe human intelligence is not the most advanced or most sophisticated type of intelligence in the Universe. Maybe, probably, there are different types, and likey more intelligent types of intelligence in the Universe.

So, what does that say about us? And about art?

There is hope

I think artificial intelligence and automated art production tools will liberate artists from the sometimes arduous process of creating art. The valuation of craftsmanship will strongly diminish. What will be left is the personal human sensation of connection between the human ‘artist’, the human ‘beholder’ and the world they live in, the reality they created for themselves. Through the art work, that was hand shaped, created by the artist himself, often for the beholder personally, for the beholder to share with his social group, and to share with the world. And that will explicitly take place in the context of the shared reality that the artist, the beholder and their shared social group together create to shape themselves, as human beings. And the story that goes with the artwork will play an increasingly important role in creating the sensation of connection.

ARTWORKS AS MEDIUM FOR HUMAN CONNECTION

The essence of art in the age of AI will be, instigated by the artwork, the human sensation of personal connection between the human ‘artist’, the human ‘beholder’ and the realities they create to shape themselves. The story that goes with the artwork will play a decisive role in creating the sensation of personal connection in their shared world, harmoneously combined with a universal sense of what it means to be a human, giving us a place in the cosmos.

Below is an image generated with DALL-E3 by OpenAI based on a sketch I made. It represents the connection between artist, beholder, their social group and the artwork.

Why the “universal sense of what it means to be a human, giving us a place in the cosmos”? Well, because I believe that the trend of human enhancement through gene editing and other techniques will rapidly accelerate in the next years and decennia. It will cause a dramatic effect of alienation and existential confusion about who we really are as a species, as Homo Sapiens, as human beings.

So, what will be left for us, humans? All that is left, is to withdraw into our cosy rabbit hole. Back to the basics, back to our human nature, back to who we are, demystified, degloryfied, a naked emperor. From individual to individual. And that universal sense of what it means to be human.