Art in an age of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) will affect almost every aspect of our lives and replace many of our jobs. On one view, machines are well suited to take over automated tasks and humans would remain important to creative endeavors. In this essay, I examine this view critically and consider the possibility that AI will play a significant role in a quintessential creative activity, the appreciation and production of visual art. This possibility is likely even though attributes typically important to viewers-the agency of the artist, the uniqueness of the art and its purpose might not be relevant to AI art. Additionally, despite the fact that art at its most powerful communicates abstract ideas and nuanced emotions, I argue that AI need not understand ideas or experience emotions to produce meaningful and evocative art. AI is and will increasingly be a powerful tool for artists. The continuing development of aesthetically sensitive machines will challenge our notions of beauty, creativity, and the nature of art.

Automated summary

This essay critically examines the view that AI will play a significant role in the appreciation and production of visual art. Despite the differences in attributes typically important to viewers, such as the agency of the artist and the uniqueness of the art, the author argues that AI can produce meaningful and evocative art even without understanding ideas or experiencing emotions. AI is and will increasingly be a powerful tool for artists, challenging our notions of beauty, creativity, and the nature of art.