By JOSE LUIS ORTIZ FLORES
Recently we have heard the concept “Artificial Intelligence” or AI, but this is just the name as it has been commercially launched. AI is a group of “machine learning processes” with specific applications as expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition and machine vision. Maybe you have heard of some of these commercial applications as Chat GPT or Bard. These applications ingest large amounts of labeled training data, and analyze it for correlations and patterns, which are used to make predictions and other analyses; so, what about art and AI? These applications can learn to generate lifelike exchanges with people: an image recognition tool can learn to identify and describe objects in images, other AI applications can create realistic text, music, and other media. So, can AI create ART?
This year, the German photographer Boris Eldgasen wan the Sony World Photography Award in the creative open category. After he wan this award, he confessed to the judges he did not take that photography, but it was created by an AI application. The stunt comes amid growing, worldwide concern about the power of AI to change economics and the everyday human experience.
The name of this picture was “Pseudomnesia, the electrician”; Boris Eldgasen sent this picture to the contest just to find out if this kind of contests were prepared for this AI revolution we are experiencing; so, he publicly rejected the prize. There are other concerns around AI and Art, like copyrights, intellectual property, authenticity, creativity, etc. We have stated in other articles that Creativity is an ability that distinguishes us as human beings that brings us to new levels, to new ways of doing things or solving problems, and it is inherent in an art piece, an “original” art piece. Considering this, we may place AI as a useful tool for artists, but it cannot substitute an artist. As many other fields in the corporate and industrial environment, we can use AI as a tool that may help artists go further with their creativity. What do you think? Can AI create “Art”?