Written by Sam Millard
6 Minute Read

We have all watched in astonishment as AI tools have been developed, rolled out and entered into main stream in record time. With prompts and 'smart tools' popping up all over the place.

If you haven't been living under a rock, you'll have heard all view points of it; everything from how it's going to make tedious tasks simpler and easier to how it's going to revolutionize work and take all of our jobs, and how it can create pretty much anything. That last one is a fraught subject for artists. I have been observing and pondering what this means for art over the last year and a bit. I confess that I have even dabbled with image generators myself, purely out of recreational curiosity, to see what all the fuss is about. I used an AI Generated image to show an AI Overlord leading the masses, titled 'Our Future Ruler', displayed in the Challenge Accepted Exhibition at Centre 64, Kimberley, in 2024. The image took about 10 minutes to create, tweak and print. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Is Image Generation just the next Paintbrush?
There are so many ways to approach this new age of instant image generation. Artists have always embraced new tools for making art. And this could just be the next tool.... on steroids. It could be used to mock up potential projects and play with ideas, to see them in real life and not just in imagination, to help an idea become fully formed, then create from there. In a world of instant gratification everything, the hardest part of that whole process is the last part; the time and energy needed to 'create from there'. I suspect it would eventually be thought of as an unnecessary last step, with the AI Image being sufficient. AI enthusiasts claim it's just a tool we artists can be excited about using, and they're not wrong, but we can't ignore the nuances of this subject and plow ahead without consideration.
New technology does amaze me. We've come a long way in the short time since I first heard the melodious tune of dial up as a child. I love that I have a website, a virtual store front, where I can share my art anytime with the world. But would I have been uploading and sharing as much as I have when it might just be used (without my explicit permission) to feed the machine that could eventually make the work it's feeding off obsolete and irrelevant? Is that where this is all headed? Who knows! Luckily, artists in general question their existence and relevance in the world on a daily basis and somehow keep going, so we're well equipped to confront this issue!
A hot button topic for many vocations including finance, law, and marketing involves AI Training and Copyright. It is well known that AI combs the internet for content and is trained over a wide variety of source.
"AI image generators are trained using large datasets containing thousands or even millions of images. These datasets provide the necessary input data for the artificial neural networks to learn various aspects and characteristics of the images." - autogpt.net
Where are they getting these images? If I ever gave permission for my art work, images or related content to be used for this purpose, I am not aware of it. Perhaps it's buried in the small print of some Term's & Conditions that only insomniacs read for therapeutic sleep material? But when we're harnessing a new technology poised to revolutionize how we interact with the world, I would have hoped we would have consulted the humans it impacts in guiding it forward. You know, like how a democracy is supposed to act in decision making when it will impact all of us....
It would have been great to have been given the option to contribute to this technological leap forward, to opt in with informed consent, and be compensated accordingly where appropriate. Not just for artist's, for every area and industry within reach of AI.
There has been little offered to protect artists and most copyright laws appear to be outdated and ill equipped to navigate this new terrain. We appear to be fastening the gate after the horse has bolted.
I was unexpectedly accosted by a lawyer I had never met before at one of the Farmer's Markets, who opened by saying that what he has to say will probably piss me off, because he's been using AI to generate images for his work. I don't recall word for word the conversation after that but he was implying that there will eventually be no need for artists. He was correct, I was most seriously displeased. Do I go into his work place and tell him he's going to be irrelevant, while he's trying to engage with prospective clients? No, I don't, because it's not appropriate. A conversation like that one can't be had in under 5 minutes when your attention is called in multiple directions. He also said that "being mad about AI is like being mad at the weather"; pointless. I pointed out to him that AI is in the hands of humans, and the weather is not. Wouldn't you expect some control over something man made? Perhaps it would be more apt to compare the caution needed for AI technology to nuclear technology? I should probably thank that lawyer though. Through the irritation he incited it prompted me to write this blog post and make my thoughts more coherent on this subject.
What kind of art is it producing?
Well, anything and everything in all kinds of styles. Like any restaurant, some are blow your socks off good, some are great, others are bland or leave you feeling queasy. Image generator platforms offer the same variety.
Will hands on artists be irrelevant?
I truly don't know where this is all headed and the full implications it contains. Let's face it, when cars hit the roads, the demand for blacksmiths plummetted, but a few still exist. Often you'll find them in quaint Heritage towns, nodding at the trades of by gone era's.
Will art go the same way? Who knows. At present I think it's fairly obvious (well to me anyway, as an elder millenial), which images are AI Generated and which have been crafted by a human hand. Gen Z are reportedly very good at teling the difference. At the moment. But we're still in AI infancy. Will it get better or will we always detect its lack of soul?
Will art created by a human be considered 'quaint' in the coming years? Will it still be considered, valued and sort after? I think only time will tell.
Until then, I'll happily keep on creating as it brings me so much joy.
What does traditional art do for people?
Oh so so so so much! I recently read 'Your Brain on Art', by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. It's a deep dive into all forms of art and neuroscience. Absolutely fascinating, 10/10, everyone should read it. The benefits are not just for people creating music, poems, dance and paintings, it impacts viewers as well in significant ways. You literally respond to art at a cellular level! Mind blowing!
I wonder if AI creations will eventually resonate in the same way? Or will they be lacking that sparkle? Perhaps this new technology will help us further understand ourselves, our consciousness and help to define the human soul by comparison?
Creating art for me personally, even when it's going badly, is like being in a meditative state. I crave it, it centres me, it releases.... something. The 10 minute process of creating and holding art created by an AI Image generator certainly did not. I'm sure I'm not the only artist who feels this. The slow and arduous process of bringing a creation to life is what makes it fulfilling, not just the end result. Image Generators take away that crucial process.
I suppose if you're in marketing and need an image to represent a product in a certain way, the process would be irrelevant to you and you'd happily accept an instant image that meets your needs regardless of how it was created, and therefore, it's a great tool for that.
The arts are ever changing. I accept that the outcome is uncertain for 'end products' and art may be seen more cheaply than it already often is, as it will be found in abundance. But AI can not replace the joy of creating. Artist's will always have that deep need to create, so let's hope there will always be people who support them and value that endeavour.
I am always comforted though, whenever I see AI stumble, and represents a camp scene where you set up a camp fire inside your tent.... hardly seems like a threat... for now!
Excellent article, Sam. I'd like to add my thoughts on this: People who appreciate the creativity, talent and years of building a unique style will NOT resort to cheap, AI-generated images (because that is all they are)! I enjoy "Life on the Ledge" as much today as I did over a year ago when I first saw it! And, here's another thing: NOTHING can replace the person (i.e., YOU) behind your paintings. 💐