The Problem With AI Art
By Rachel Haynes, Staff Writer
Ever since AI units have been able to generate images, the idea of AI art has been hotly debated.
If you’ve been online in the past year, I am certain you have come across some form of AI. Whether it was using ChatGPT itself or coming across an obviously fake photo, AI has become increasingly common on social media and a very prevalent issue for artists. AI art has been taking over the art world, putting many artists at risk of losing their job. We must support human artists who have dedicated their time to their craft by stopping the use of artificial intelligence for artistic purposes.
Elliana Esquivel’s story perfectly demonstrates the harmful effects of AI. In a 2023 WCNC article, it is reported that her art was stolen by AI. According to the article, she tried to have the art taken down, but said it was pointless since it would “just get scraped again.” The stolen art was being sold, causing Esquivel’s own sales to drop during a period of homelessness, making it extremely difficult for her to make a living. She says that “art will never be the same” because of AI, a claim which scares many artists.
Esquivel is one of many artists who have been negatively impacted by AI. Her story only happened a few years ago, and now AI has become even more developed within the last year. Data from Stanford suggests that in the last year, there were 233 problematic issues with AI that were reported. It was at a record high, and that number continues to climb. AI is becoming more common within the workplace as well, which will potentially cost millions their jobs. The expansion of AI is on the rise, which will only cause more problems than do any good. Artists losing jobs, being falsely accused of using AI, and the lack of creativity are all current and major issues that AI is creating. Having an art career is hard enough as is, but now with artists having to compete against artificial intelligence, it has become even more of a challenge for them. Esquivel’s story proves that AI has the potential to put many artists out of work. Businesses dealing with art will see a negative impact on their income, putting their business at risk of closing, creating job loss and heartbreak.
While it can be argued that AI is useful to tweak and refine art, you lose the human touch and value to that artwork. Art is meant to be unique and connect us all together. Once it is corrected by something that is not human, it loses its connection to us. Art is not meant to be perfect; it underlines the humanness we all have. Bob Ross told us to embrace the imperfections, famously saying that “there are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” Using artificial intelligence to fix mistakes gets rid of the story and completely destroys the emotion behind the piece. There is no longer a human touch to the art, which devalues the work. Art that is completely done by AI has absolutely no passion or creativity behind it. There is no heart, effort, or time put behind it, which people do not appreciate. It begs the question of whether or not AI art can even be considered art; if there is no imperfection, no energy put behind it, then what is its purpose?
AI is doing more harm than good, especially within the art world. With it becoming more and more common, it will begin to negatively impact more and more people. How are we to combat this issue? The answer is to limit the use of AI. While you may be thinking that AI will not affect you, there will come a time when it will. It is better to prevent and prolong this from happening by learning not to rely on it for everything. It is important to support artists within the community and around the world, especially those who have been negatively impacted by AI.