AI art has been a controversial topic for several years now. With the rise of this new technology, many fields have felt the impact, with most expressing their negative opinions; however, some opinions voice otherwise. According to the BBC, “technological revolutions like artificial intelligence need not signify the ‘end of art’ as many fear. Instead, they can help to kickstart an artistic metamorphosis and move us towards totally different ways of seeing and creating.” Similarly, in PDS, there has been civil discourse among teachers and students alike on the morality of AI art and some interesting takes on the pros of AI.
Sophomore Eddie Letko, an experienced artist, articulates, “Although I am skeptical about AI art, I think in the future, there might be a world where AI can help artists instead of trying to replace them.” Additionally, he expands on how even though the quality of AI art is poor now, it could improve in the future. I agree with this take, as I believe AI could be a powerful tool in the future instead of a feared idea.
Meanwhile, sophomore Evan Zhou, another upcoming student artist, argues, “I don’t really have an opinion on AI art, and I’ve never really used it. I just saw some stuff online and thought it was interesting.” He elaborates, stating that he sees how AI art could be helpful in the future, especially with its almost instant creations. However, he notes it is in a beta phase right now, and people should wait to use it professionally. I think this is the opinion of many students because there has not been much coverage in school about the implications of AI art.
Additionally, Upper School Media Arts Faculty member Melissa Myser comments, “There are several benefits to AI in our normal life: speeding up tasks, taking over basic things to free us for other needs, or accuracy for example. These benefits of AI can be true for many digital mediums like filmmaking as well…” Right now, AI can be great for small details in films and animations. However, I think using AI for the majority of the piece is where questions of true creativity and artistic creation come in.
Overall, students of PDS have generally thought of AI art as an interesting idea in its early phases that, with more refinement and with careful guidelines, could be used as a helpful tool for artists, whether they are professional or amateur. I believe that with more time and experimentation, AI could be a powerful tool in many fields, and art could benefit from it as well. With its incredible generative speed and ability to provide guidance, it would be a way for artists to increase both the speed and quality of their work.
