The Cultural Impact of AI in Art

[Above image shared by Twitter user Whyenn (@WhyTheEnn)]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) began stirring controversy in 2022 with the release of Midjourney, which utilises AI and text-to-image generation to allow millions of Discord users to generate art. Although you might not see six-fingered ladies with such high frequency anymore, AI art has - without a doubt - opened up the possibilities of AI in the creative industry with its ability to produce music, art, poetry and even anime (Corridor Digital’s ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ for the brave).

The debate amongst commentators revolves around the role that AI plays in art and artists, and how it affects the art community at large in a capitalist-consumerist society. Does AI art undermine the sanctity of art and subsequently artists themselves? Or does it have the capacity to re-define creativity as we know it?