Generative image AI : is a text prompter an artist?
There’s a buzz in the artist community about generative image AI, and the comments are not positive.
While generative image AI gets significant attention and controversy, it’s essential to recognize the diverse applications of AI in other areas—applications that don’t cause much hassle. For example, recommendation systems like Netflix’s and Spotify’s use AI algorithms to personalize user experiences. The same applies to personal assistants, such as Siri and Alexa. Predictive maintenance AI is used in manufacturing, airlines, and utilities, while in the medical field, AI models analyze medical images to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases. Autonomous vehicles, including self-driving cars and delivery drones, aim to enhance transportation safety and efficiency. AI is finding its way into education, cybersecurity, and our daily lives.
Of course, beyond all these mundane AI helpers, is Data from Star Trek “The Next Generation”, who represents the artificial general intelligence, a theoretical form of AI that possesses human-like cognitive abilities and versatility. This Ai is not yet realized but we all remember Data’s biggest longing : to become more human.
intellectual property infringement
Let’s get back to generative image AI, like Diffusion Models. These models, which refine images through a series of denoising steps using text prompts, are at the center of the disapproval. First of all, they are accused of intellectual property infringement . These models are trained on artwork published on the internet. This “training data” consists of images created by artists and shared online. The lack of consent from the original creators leads to feelings of art theft and the perception that others are profiting from their work without proper acknowledgment or compensation.
misleading images
Additionally, misleading and fake images generated by AI can harm individuals and distort public perception. For instance, intricate AI-generated artwork, like the snow sculpture in this image, can mislead people into thinking such creations are humanly possible, devaluing real, human-made art and altering the perception of what is genuinely crafted by people. All these Ai generated images found on social, are pleading for likes and shares.
artist’s jobs
This brings us to the question of artists’ jobs. Will they be lost? Will artists need to use AI technology to stay relevant? Can generative image AI become a tool like Photoshop, helping artists with repetitive tasks, or is the fear of AI replacing human creativity real? If the previously mentioned AIs are meant to help with mundane tasks, what is the generative image AI’s purpose?
what’s the purpose of generative image ai?
Some argue that AI not only clears time by taking on repetitive tasks but also pushes artistic horizons. They even argue that it “democratizes” art, allowing anyone to be an artist without training. Of course, this is not the case. In a capitalist framework where profit drives innovation, generative image AI only enriches and benefits those that distribute and use the technology. The rapid advancement in AI technology in all fields is fueled by a combination of academic research, technological breakthroughs, and market demand. Once a technology demonstrates potential, it’s challenging to slow its progress due to the collective investments and interests involved. Short-term profits often gain over long-term ethical considerations.
Eventually, I think that people will tire of these polished AI-generated images and strive for hand-drawn, original, human art. I also believe that AI will be regulated, and the buzz around it will subside as we find ways to use it ethically. However, this won’t happen immediately. In this interim, corporations and opportunists may profit at the expense of at least one generation of artists who may feel lost and trained in vain. One step in the right direction is to make it mandatory to mention that an image is AI-generated. I’m sure there will be AI apps that can detect if an image is AI-generated.
I sincerely hope we find a way to keep art and poetry human while letting AI handle the mundane tasks. I’m absolutely okay with AI doing the laundry.
Cheers,
Ersi
PS. And what about DeepSeek?
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