Three Sample Scenarios Revealing AI and Its Value in Art

Scenario 1: AI and a Self-Sufficient Artist

An artist who can intuitively combine visual elements doesn't need AI assistance for creating artwork. Perhaps only license-free references are helpful, making AI a time-saving tool rather than an artistic one. In this scenario, the value of AI lies in efficiency, not creativity.

Look for the first illustration from the left: Meredith Frampton's "Marguerite Kelsey," 1928.

Scenario 2: AI and Concept Art

An artist who has difficulty visualizing ideas but possesses a great taste in art can use AI to generate visuals using other artists' styles as references. This process borders on plagiarism because AI can’t create; it only mixes existing human-made art. With enough mixing, an artist can potentially produce something original, but this requires substantial professional knowledge of art theory. Thus, there's a moral dilemma for non-professionals who are at risk of inadvertently stealing.

While AI excels at imitation, it holds little value in the professional art world where originality is paramount.

Look for the middle illustration, the imitation of the first one's style.

Scenario 3: AI as an Artist Itself

An artist who cannot visualize, lacks knowledge of art theory, and provides no visual references to the AI tool, but instead gives it an idea with full freedom to create, results in the most generic and low-quality so-called art imaginable. The value of this output is zero because it buries even the most ingenious idea under a visual mess. The technical capability of AI makes it pick and blend various art styles randomly, leading us back to the second scenario, but in an unconscious way.

Look for the illustration on the right.

So, if you see a meaningful and beautiful piece made by AI, you should know that there's a person with professional knowledge standing behind it. The visual is a mix of the best human-made artworks in the world's history. Is this magic? Yes! Is this valuable? Only you can answer that for yourself.