AI generated art: Breaking down the brilliance and the controversy.

ChatGPT is the talk of the town. It is a chatbot that interacts in a conversational way. Now, we've used ChatGPT and it is brilliant, we are amazed by its capabilities. But what amazes us, even more, are the AI art generators that generate images from textual descriptions. Recently, an artwork made using the AI tool Midjourney won the top spot at a competition in the United States. What does this mean for the future of artists and what are the ownership and copyright concerns in AI generated art? Let’s try to break it down.

AI tools like Midjourney, Dall.E2 and Stable Diffusion can create images from textual descriptions. It can include objects, hyper realistic scenes, artworks in styles similar to famous artists etc. These AI image generators have many potential applications. They can be used in the entertainment industry, such as in the creation of special effects for movies and video games. They can also be used in the field of architecture and design, to create 3D renders of buildings and interiors. They can also be used in the fashion industry, to create virtual models and clothes. Just watch a few videos on YouTube and you’ll be amazed at the kind of images that are being generated using these tools. You’ve got everything from gods to fictional planets and aliens. It even made me question whether there is a supernatural power behind it for a second.

One big question that looms over is, how will all this affect artists? With the aid of these new technologies, amateurs and even those with no prior training may now produce intricate works of art simply by typing a few words into a text box. Artists are worried about their future. They are worried that this would diminish the value of their work. But, something that has to be understood is that AI takes ideas and inspiration from around the web to create art. Only an artist can create a truly original and unique work.

Then, there are the legal questions that arise. These programs employ data created by humans, collected from the web, which may be copyright protected. This was not an issue in the past as AI was not even remotely as good as it is now. But, now software like Midjouney and Dall.E2 are able to create art eerily similar to that of famous artists. The argument by AI researchers and companies is that it would only constitute “fair dealing” or “fair use”. Whether it is a fair use of a copyrighted work is something that the courts would have to decide based on the purpose for which it is used, the extent to which it diminishes the value of the original work, and the quantum of the original work which is copied. Also, the question as to the ownership of the AI generated art arises, would the person typing in the prompt have ownership? There are many legal questions to which we do not have concrete answers.

AI art generators are one of those products that we just don’t know if we should love or hate. It is by far one of the most impressive things we’ve seen in some time. We also love that there are so many potential applications to it. But, there are no two ways about it, it has the potential to be a threat to artists to an extent. Also, add in the questions as to infringement of copyrights into the equation and we are left wondering, should we love it or hate it !