On AI and Artists > Judging by the title of this article alone, one would most likely conclude that this is going to be a hit piece on AI, and by an older artist nonetheless, someone from a bygone generation. Well okay, but in that regard, the reader would only be partially correct: I’m also a product of this generation. Like others who’ve been around the block a few times, I’m someone who has learned a lot of good stuff during that sojourn, but I don’t profess to know it all and in that regard I’m much different than AI.
Let me preface this by saying I certainly recognize that AI has its place and I regularly consult it for practical matters involving all kinds of subjects that I want to know more about, but when it comes to my art…hands off, buddy!
I can hear it now, “Oh, but John, you’re going to be at a disadvantage to all of those lucky artists who employ AI in their work, you poor misguided thing you!”
Yeah, maybe in the arena of some aspects of art production I will be disadvantaged and, quite frankly, that’s okay with me.
You see, for me and many like-minded artists, art is more than just a cold painted image to rush off to a gallery for a quick sale. It’s a way of life that starts and ends in my soul. It’s an activity created through understanding and wisdom which didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s also one which stands as a testament to my very human existence.
Let me explain: all the arts, whether music, dance, theatre, writing, sculpture, drawing, or painting are activities which spell the very essence of the artists who created them. In the same way blues music was born as a call and response to the pain felt by slaves in the American South, all art forms are a soul’s call and response for understanding of both joy, beauty, pain and suffering in this life; it’s also a vital two-way connection to Deity on some level.
For me and many other artists, both past and present, it’s a revelatory experience that requires wrestling with principles and practices involved in painting a canvas which reveals the quality of expression that comes as the hard-won physical product of who we are as human beings known as artists.
Enter AI, with its appeal to vanity and common sense. You know, up until recently I wasn’t aware that the use of AI in art production was even a thing. Now it seems like I’m confronted with it daily. It’s pitched as being “just a tool,” something that’s going to make my artistic life easier, more productive, quicker, better and perfect. What could be wrong with that? Just think of the benefits – faster painting production, perfect compositions, quicker delivery to galleries…not to mention, more money! What could possibly go wrong? Well, only EVERYTHING!
I’m reminded of all the modern plastic, fantastic, animated movie previews in the theaters that I usually must endure as I’m waiting for the main event to start. The characters are all the same…same personalities, same attitudes, with the same uniformly boring way that they all move and talk. I’m sure studio moguls all think it’s a dandy idea, and they’ve done a great job at convincing the public as well. But for someone who grew up in a different era, it’s a far cry from the cartoons that were hand drawn and produced manually in the past.
So, as I see it, AI assisted paintings will suffer the same fate. Sure, they will all be compositionally perfect, but by someone else’s definition. Not only that, but AI itself will make the “call and response wrestle” a thing of the past. Be careful of what you wish for! The very thing that causes artists to seek answers through higher channels will eventually go M.I.A. – (Missing in Action). That component of the creative process that involves the soul of the artist will no longer be necessary.
Who knows, maybe galleries will be able to produce their own art in the future. They won’t even need artists to paint those large, bulky, time-consuming canvases that also come with interactions with the human artists. You know, those things that have emotions and are often difficult to work with, who struggle for years to express what’s in their hearts and spend countless years developing their talents. Those pesky individuals who pour out their souls to put a piece of themselves, with all its glory and human imperfections, on canvas. What could go wrong?
You know one of the things that makes AI appealing is this idea of competition for resources, wealth, power, convenience, and money. But when these corporate motivations enter the domain of the artist, something valuable gets lost. If the impetus for the creation of art is driven by these things, the soul is extracted from the art in increments commensurate with the amount of pressure they exert on it.
So, one must ask the inevitable question, what do we gain as artists who use AI, and what are we willing to lose?
I ask you, what are your feelings? Share them with me in the comments section below.
Until next time,
John
P.S.
AI and art is a very timely topic, and I appreciate all those who have offered opinions which have helped shape my remarks. A big thanks to Tom Howard, John Poon, and Bryan Mark Taylor, who each took the time to review this article and offer valuable critiques and insights.
P.S.S.
Lest anyone think I’m pointing the finger or judging them as some sort of art snob, I’m not. I realize, like in anything else, there are always exceptions. Commercial art for one, and even fine art deadlines which try the souls of all professional artists at one time or another, can cause real world decisions to be made which would normally not be. We are all going to have to face these new realities at some point and I’m there right with you. Keep it real, my brothers and sisters in art!
thanks for this column, John. Love the painting you chose for the article. I uploaded a sketch to Chatgpt to get some help on multiple perspective lines. while the flattering tone was annoying and not believable, the advice about establishing a vanishing point helped me sort out a difficult confluence of buildings from a scene in Rome. this is congruent with how I use chat for other things. it’s an amazing researcher, providing results much more quickly than I could do myself. that said, I haven’t been inclined to ask another question about a painting though I reserve the possibility for another difficult perspective problem:)
Hi Eileen, Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate your feedback. I guess we all have to grapple with this thing in the present and future which has so many layers and applications for both good and bad. So many things to consider and weigh the outcomes.
Spot on! When art becomes a commodity instead of personal expression, the “soul” of a painting is lost. What will evolve with AI work is a homogenized version of art sold to the masses – eventually found at Walmart.
Thanks Pam, Couldn’t have said it better!
This article touches my soul and made me tear up. It is spot on in my opinion as well. I have painted my whole life without AI and as much as I love getting a check for my work it is also so much more than that as well. I don’t think AI will ever be able to replace human emotion, experiences and talent that comes together after hours of thought before getting the paint brush down, to the layers of paint that follow creating a piece of me. I do think it can be helpful to spark creativity now and again but I don’t believe even if it does take over it will ever be able to replace human art. Thank you for writing this and sharing your thoughts.
Thanks Jennifer,
I really appreciate your deep felt comments!
I totally agree with you . aI generated art will not have the emotions and pieces of the artist who created it . My biggest worry is that the entire human creative process will disappear as young people « create « using AI …. Where will the risk taking go ? Problem solving ability? Patience ? Perseverance ? Pride is making something with your own hands , heart and emotions ? Since the cave men , humans have created art to communicate their inner selves , create community , and understand each other and the world around them . AI art will take that all away . Scary !
Thank you Lynn, 100% agree!
I am tired of watching AI generated videos and Facebook postings. They are a waste of time. I don’t understand how to recognize an AI generated painting but I’m sure I will not like it.
Thanks for posting. CHC
You nailed it Chuck, those videos are tiring!
If you ask AI about AI, here’s a phrase in their (it’s?) own words: Weighted Patterns, Not Truth.
I like truth 🙂
Truth is where it’s at, thanks Karen!
Thanks for this article John. I especially appreciate the painting from the soul references, because that is what I’m always striving for. Like you, I use ChatGPT for a variety of very helpful reasons. My thoughts are that we are in the midst of revolution that none of us anticipated, and a type of evolution that none of us can accurately predict. That said, I’d like to offer a small counterpoint; much like many artists use Photoshop to test a variety of compositions and color harmonies etc. AI can sometimes be a useful tool for experimentation. Midjourney for instance, allows for utilizing your own references and the ability to explore innumerable iterations of ideas relative to your references to consider. I occasionally find this idea finding very useful – even educational, much like I’m sure photoshop users experience. I also enjoy creating from the purely organic experience of plein air and photographing references, but occasionally – AI assisted idea finding from my references results in an image that is based on my original reference but captures the feeling I want to create which still requires painting from what you feel and all of the same problem solving. I should add that I’m not a prolific user of AI and I only test ideas with AI occasionally.
Thanks Kevin, I appreciate the counterpoint idea, always good to get another opinion to consider.
For my part, I choose to be out painting in nature whenever possible, just me, my materials and the scene, forgetting everything else and painting to the best of my ability. That’s a purely human experience that will, if it’s good enough, or truthful enough, resonate intimately with other people. The process is integral to the product. It requires effort, and to make it easier is to miss the point.
That being said, AI is so powerful, people are inevitably going to see what can be done with it. It’s just something else. We only need to keep the categories apart.
Thanks Joe, I love your point about the process, so important!
Thank you for this post. And I enjoyed reading the comments that came before me. I have only heard one of my friends give an explanation of how she is using ChatGPT in her photos to see possibilities she may have missed. Her photos, just portions of it rearranged is what I supposed she was talking about. Yes, I used Photoshop to do it sometimes by using the drawing tools, cut and paste, etc. But, I also am out in nature as often as possible, and the struggle with choosing my own thoughts is what I think brings the artist “into” the final process of creating. It is going to be interesting to watch what happens… and I hope “artists” don’t take “the easy way out.”
Hi Marsha, Very good points and there’s nothing like facing nature, just you and a blank canvas! Thank you for that.
Well said John. A society of “Easy Eddies” will celebrate; but when AI replaces the unique human elements of art production then the romance is lost.
Yes, so well put Rich!
I appreciate your article so much John. I agree with your thoughts and those of many who have left comments. As I’m afraid it’s here to stay, my hope for AI in art is that it will have its own space, stand alone. As some are touched by oils, water colors, gouache, or acrylic, I hope AI artists create their own lane and label it as such. Let those drawn to it purchase and support it and those drawn to the human experience continue to support the art we all find so beautiful.
Hi Val, Good points, and I think if we are perceptive we will be able to see the difference. I’m already starting to recognize that in written material as well as videos on the internet. I can’t put my finger on why yet, but I’m starting to feel it.
I am afraid that AI will cause us to lose the soul of painting as you referred to. I for one don’t mind being ” old school “.
Love old school too, thanks Marie!
What is natural intelligence? We evolved from the petroglyph to numbers to language — all invented communications also = AI. It is the independence from human involvement making humans no longer relevant that should concern society.
Very concerning Lynn! Thank you for commenting.
In fine art school in the late 70s I learned about projecting photos to get my proportions and get a faster more accurate painting.
Then that’s a career I went into commercial art and was forced into learning the computer in the early 90s Photoshop & illustrator and got away from most hands on art.
Computer-assisted Art seem to be a necessity for the commercial world that I lived in, but as soon as I retired, I rushed back into my oil, paints and brushes. I did a few projected paintings, but then realized I was losing part of myself in my art , when I wasn’t creating the entire piece organically from my soul.
Although I still like my paintings to have a feeling of “realism”(probably not the correct word), I don’t want to put a wall between myself and my Canvas that I feel the computer and mechanical tools create. I don’t want to feel like I’m just filling in the blanks….which cuts me out of the art process.
Just one old Art jokers opinion!
I love your old Art Jokers opinion, good thoughts Buddy!
John, thank you for such a heartfelt and reflective piece. What comes through most clearly is not opposition to technology, but a deep love for the human struggle that sits at the center of real art. That “call and response wrestle” you describe is something many artists recognize immediately, even if they might use different words for it. It is the slow, sometimes painful, often joyful process of becoming more fully ourselves through the work.
I especially appreciated your point that art is not merely about producing images, but about bearing witness to human existence. The connection you make between creativity, suffering, joy, and something higher than ourselves feels both honest and important in a time when speed and efficiency are so often treated as the highest virtues.
At the same time, I think your essay leaves room for a conversation that is still unfolding. Tools have always changed art, from pigments and brushes to cameras and digital media, and each shift has raised similar fears about loss of soul or authenticity. The real question, as you frame it so well, is not whether tools exist, but what they do to the inner life of the artist. If AI becomes a substitute for wrestling, then something essential is lost. If it remains secondary to that wrestling, then perhaps the danger is less in the tool and more in how willingly we give up the struggle.
What your article ultimately defends is not tradition for its own sake, but presence, patience, and the courage to remain human in the creative act. In that sense, your voice feels very much of this generation, not outside it. Thank you for articulating what many feel but struggle to express.
DJ, So well articulated, I love all these thoughtful comments and appreciate how well you have woven your thoughts so skillfully!
Hi Everyone,
I’m really appreciating all of your comments and your different perspectives. There’s still a lot to learn about this topic and I am sure there will be nuances when it comes to AI in the future. I really do get the distinction between fine art and commercial applications. I think as a learning tool for study as well, it can be positive in many ways. There really is a big difference between using AI as a teaching/learning tool and having it take over and replacing our thoughts…that’s a scary prospect! I have heard it said that internet sources and AI can give us fast information, but that it’s not helping us to remember what we have learned and that the old fashioned method of learning and retention is much more effective. But I guess that’s a topic for another discussion. Keep doing wonderful art from your soul…John
Hey there!
I understand that AI can be used as a tool in the same way I may use a ruler or a grid. However, creativity comes from our Creator. It’s something we tap into as His creations. It’s more than a skill set, it’s something that comes from our hearts. You can’t put “feeling” and “heart” into an AI painting. The viewer will feel it is missing and I think that eventually these AI paintings will just be production pieces with no nuances, missed brushstrokes, etc. that will be a dime a dozen. I’ll keep painting regardless for the freedom of expression and exhilaration it gives me as the artist.
Hi Joanne, Well said, thank you!
I couldn’t imagine using AI to create or help create art. Making art is, for me, a sacred act, a communication with my deepest and highest spiritual power. It has nothing to do with making money or meeting a deadline. It is my heart and soul and AI or any other impostor can never take my torture and triumph from me.
Hi Marilyn, Thanks for your comment I totally agree!