Should I use AI for art?

Is it even art at all?

With AI creation technology becoming more and more prevalent, this is a reasonable concern to have. There are countless videos on YouTube flaunting side hustles which consist of selling AI-generated “art” products on Etsy and Amazon. Almost all of these videos focus on the efficiency of AI, arguing that since it can create an entire painting in the time it takes you to setup a canvas, why isn’t that how we make art?

While AI may be more efficient, it’s missing a crucial element of art creation — learning and growth. I don’t mean the AI itself, because it is programmed specifically to learn and develop with each iteration. I mean the person. The human being. The artist. When a person writes a book, paints on a canvas, or sculpts something from clay, they undergo the intricate experience of creation. That experience involves trial and error, taking risks, and not knowing how it’ll turn out until it’s all done. Along the way, they learn about the craft they are pursuing. For a film director, they may learn about how lighting and cinematography impacts the atmosphere of each scene. For a writer, they may learn how to use their words economically and poignantly to communicate as clearly as possible to the reader. For a magician, they may learn the timing of certain sleight of hand moves or the proper script for a routine. It doesn’t matter what discipline or medium you look at — every artist learns from the journey of creating something.

After they complete a piece of art, they use that knowledge to make something new; and therefore, begin the process over, but with more knowledge and experience. Each time, the artist gets better and better at what they’re doing.

This may seem like common sense at first, like “yes, of course we learn from doing, so what?” Well, when someone uses AI to make “art”, they are completely skipping this process.

Think about it; if you simply type in “make a funny picture” into ChatGPT, what are you learning from that? You didn’t learn anything about sketching, painting, or even graphic design. You didn’t learn about how to properly depict lighting in an image. You didn’t learn about utilizing the elements and principles of design to create one unified art piece. You did not learn and you did not grow. Sure, you may have a semi-decent image that gets a slight chuckle, but at the end of the day you did not learn or grow from the experience. You are exactly the same at the beginning as you are in the end.

Most influencers who taut around the use of AI as an “easy” method of making content don’t understand is that the joy comes from the process of creating art, rather than actually having the end product. The immense satisfaction for an artist doesn’t come from simply having a finished piece in front of you, it’s from knowing that you put the work in to make it happen.

The process of making art is beautiful because of the setbacks, the struggles, and the strength it takes to have all the pieces come together. Overcoming struggle is a satisfying journey, and it shows in plenty of popular media.

Take the original Star Wars trilogy — Luke Skywalker begins the series as a whiny, overbearing boy on a farm in Tatooine (which is essentially a desert planet). By the end of the trilogy, in Return of the Jedi, he is a calm, collected, wise Jedi. He still acts out, and sometimes lets anger get the best of him, but he has clearly grown from the experience. This is after the death of his mentor, losing his hand, and falling down a chasm in Cloud City. We, as an audience, relate to his character not because of the literal circumstances, but because he’s a human being that grew and changed. We know and feel the satisfaction that comes from that development. Now imagine if Luke started as the calm, collected, wise Jedi. While the end product of his character may be capable, the lack of growth would be evident and therefore the story (as well as our investment in him) would crumble. While you may not be saving the galaxy by making your art, the principle remains that struggles lead to learning, and learning leads to growth.

Now, does this mean you should intentionally create difficult circumstances for yourself? Of course not. Does this mean that you should be happy about hard times or be grateful because “whatever kills you makes you stronger”? Absolutely not. Does this mean that skipping the process of creating art is robbing yourself of the joy in making art? One hundred percent. Artificial intelligence cannot accomplish this feeling.

Don’t use AI.