Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
As AI-generated imagery continues to encroach on the art world, numerous ethical dilemmas arise. The most common concern is its impact on human jobs and whether it constitutes theft. Beyond ethical issues, a new problem has emerged.
Generative AI imagery is negatively affecting the way we engage with art, and if proper restrictions aren’t implemented soon, the trend will continue.
In some cases, generative AI has become indistinguishable from real art created by human hands. For example, in a recent Pokemon illustration contest by The Pokemon Company, six AI-generated submissions, each under similar pseudonyms, made it into the top 300 submissions.
Thankfully, these submissions were eventually identified by other artists, leading to their disqualification. However, the fact that these pieces advanced so far in the competition highlights how refined generative art is becoming.
What does mean for the future of art? More importantly, what does it mean for artistic communities now?
Generative imagery is already changing the way we interact with art. Online artists and their audiences have learned to be skeptical of every piece they come across, as even established artists have begun employing models like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion to engineer pieces rather than create them by hand.
Navigating artistic settings online has become a minefield, as it’s far too easy to engage with AI imagery unknowingly. With the proliferation of AI art, many viewers have found themselves meticulously studying illustrations before offering any form of engagement.
There is one positive: Thorough scanning of art means that audiences are taking more time to appreciate artistic themes. However, how much of an upside is this when it stems from a fear of theft?
This widespread dilution of art undermines the value of real human creation. It breeds paranoia, and it has already led to real artists being accused of using generative imagery in place of their normal creations. If this is the cost of viewers taking time to stop and smell the roses, it’s simply not worth it.
No one should have to deal with their creations being stolen for datasets to mimic real artistic skill. Moreover, no one should have to face paranoid accusations of their art being fake because a large group of people don’t want to pick up a pencil and learn.
It’s becoming far too difficult to meaningfully engage with art do to the attitudes generative AI has created among artists and their audiences alike. Something needs to change.
While artists have already taken steps to prevent their works from being stolen by AI models by using things like Glaze and Nightshade, which slightly alters an image so that these models can’t properly mimic them, these measures won’t be enough in the long run. Currently, there are no laws or restrictions on generative AI and the datasets used to train them.
To preserve real, meaningful art created with human intent, something needs to be done to prevent AI artists from infiltrating our communities any further. Lasting solutions are required to eliminate paranoia and allow us to appreciate art for what it really is: a display of human creativity and a labor of love.
Parker Hodges-Beggs is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at [email protected]
