Redefining Art with AI
As a visual artist, I have been deeply intrigued by the potential of AI technology in artistic creation. My first interactions with the Midjourney platform, in August 2022, made me reflect on the rapid evolution of technology and its impact on visual arts. I wondered whether it still made sense to continue practicing photography or graphic design.
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I had many dilemmas regarding the originality of AI-generated works. The main question was: can I claim these creations as my own? Observing debates within artistic communities, divided between AI supporters and critics, I sought to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.
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A defining moment was Adobe’s decision to use users’ works to develop its AI technologies without explicit consent. This made me realize how limited artists’ control is over the works they publish online. Although I tried various methods to protect my art, they proved ineffective and time-consuming.
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​In 2023, I closely followed the case of German photographer Boris Eldagsen, who won the Sony World Photography Awards with an AI-generated image titled The Electrician. His statements about redefining the concept of copyright and how AI frees artists from technical and financial constraints resonated deeply with my own experiences.
He stated:
“I no longer need models, a location, or a camera; my technical, art historical, and creative knowledge becomes the creative material itself. This frees me from the constraints of budget and the limits of photography.”
It is important to realise that the ‘photo-like’ visual language
of AI-generated images has separated itself from the medium of ‘photography’ and is now free-floating as something
in its own right.
“Adobe Firefly and Stable Diffusion 3.0 have already set themselves up so that they will be much more difficult to challenge legally. OPEN AI does not reveal where they source the data from which the AI learns and thus remains effectively unassailable. What no one discusses is that the responsibility in matters of copyright has already passed from the providers of the platforms to the users.
They have innumerable ways in which to work with other people’s image material, without it ever being possible to control or prove it. Ethically, this is all highly problematic; practically, no one can prevent it. With the open-source model of Stable Diffusion, Pandora’s Box was opened and can no longer be closed.”
“ One hundred and seventy years ago, Baudelaire pronounced the nascent medium of photography to be the “mortal enemy of painting, (…) refuge of all failed painters, the untalented and the lazy”. Today, AI artists are berated in much the same way by photographers. Back then, photographers took the likeness, the realistic representation, away from painters. It proved a liberating blow, the prerequisite for the development of modern painting.”
I believe that AI-generated images are not photographs in the traditional sense, due to fundamental differences in the creative process and the relationship between the artist and the subject. However, I recognize AI’s potential to expand creative horizons and provide new tools for artistic development.
As a graphic designer, I see AI as a valuable ally that can enhance and diversify my projects. I think the issue arises when one relies solely on this tool, with a portfolio dominated by AI-generated works. The experience behind an artistic project’s creative process cannot be reproduced through just a few clicks and a well-written prompt, just as the relationship between an artist and their subject cannot be replaced by an algorithm.
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It is essential for artists to stay informed about new technologies and understand their impact on their practice. Although AI uses pre-existing resources to generate images—just as artists draw inspiration from the surrounding world, images found on the internet, or other physical resources—I believe the value of a work of art lies in its ability to convey emotion and a story. I have encountered
AI-created images that impressed me just as much as a classic painting or a remarkable photograph.
The article from which I quoted Boris Eldagsen's statements
can be read in full here:
https://talking-pictures.online/2023/04/01/boris-eldagsen-the-woman-who-never-was/