AI art is a type of medium that is created with the help of artificial intelligence— thousands of images are analyzed in mere seconds, following certain aesthetics and color schemes that the user suggests: and a piece of art is created. It is fascinating that with a touch of a button hundreds of mesmerizing and enchanting images are generated. AI art has the potential to surpass the skills of human artists. This is great news to many companies because they can create artwork for their merchandise and projects without having to pay anyone. Money and time is saved, and the process is significantly faster. 

However, the bad news is that it puts the careers of artists at jeopardy. Many of those in the art community are lashing out against the use of AI art, spreading the hashtag #supporthumanartists. Some artists have claimed that their art was stolen for the use of AI art generating websites, because the images that were created were almost identical to their art styles. They are being plagiarized for someone’s convenience. It is also saddening that artists on social media are being questioned about their art, asking whether it’s real or AI generated. It’s quite the insult to those who have worked for years perfecting their skills, only to be doubted of their talent.

Being an independent artist is already a hard endeavor and career to be in— and for them to also compete with AI is unfair. Our society is eagerly looking for new ways to do things, and we see artificial intelligence in many aspects of our daily lives. Whether it’s self-checkouts or cleaning robots, the jobs with repetitive tasks are the most at risk for being replaced. It is just absurd that now art can be created by artificial intelligence, and may have the potential to replace real human artists in the future. 

But the biggest thing that sets AI apart is that it has not lived through real life experiences. It does not feel anything, and it does not have passion. What makes an artist an artist is the desire to create— it is not something we are programmed to do. Artists have been inspired by others, and have an inner world that most people can not even comprehend. To have those visions come to fruition is what makes an artist different and significant in our world—it helps us all to see the beauty in life.