When Elliana Esquivel, an artist who has been creating art since the age of 16, experienced a drop in commissions and online sales, she suspected her art may have been stolen, according to an article from WCNC Charlotte. She later found out, using a website, that her art had been stolen by generative artificial intelligence, a majority of which was created when she was experiencing homelessness.
As technology advances, the use of AI is becoming more common and is used in many different ways, according to the Government Accountability Office. It’s not only used for quick visuals, but for images in journals and newspapers. Although some could argue that using AI-generated art is beneficial because it takes less time and is more accessible, it is harmful because it takes away opportunities and creativity from human artists, exploits their work, and diminishes the meaningfulness of art. Plagiarism is a legitimate concern for many artists, as their work is not only used to train algorithms, but is also copied in the art produced by the trained AI.
AI-generated art threatens the jobs of human artists. A survey conducted by the Society of Authors Policy Team showed that 26% of illustrators and 36% of translators have already lost work due to generative AI. According to Leo Li, a gaming industry recruiter in Hangzhou, China, over 70% of video game illustrators lost their jobs in 2021, mainly due to AI. It takes away job opportunities for artists, illustrators, and even translators, and it undermines the creative aspect of art.
In a study that appeared in the June 2023 edition of Computers in Human Behavior, researchers led a series of psychological experiments involving AI art. Participants were shown two paintings, one made by AI and the other by humans. In reality, both pieces of artwork were created by only AI or humans. The results showed participants preferred artwork they thought was human-made. The study found that there was a pervasive bias towards work they believed was human-made, believing it was more creative.
Some argue that there are positive aspects to AI art. For example, anyone can make art using AI, and people with little experience creating art or lacking the technical skills that experienced artists generally develop. But since AI art is generated from trained AI using so many artists’ work, it’s not actually creating a “new” piece of art, but rather remixing the art of so many human artists. It allows people to access a created work without actually having to go through the creative process. For many artists, the process is more important than the product. Therefore, AI is not democratizing art.
Although the development of AI is inevitable, we must maintain guidelines to protect the work of human artists. By prioritizing creativity and supporting human work, we can enrich the world of art rather than exploiting it.