Here's Why Midjourney-Generated AI Images Can Be Called Art

Really smart points by reader "Liv", on whether AI generated images like Dr. Nettrice Gaskins' Midjourney-based works can be called art:

Like all artforms new technology comes along, and equivalent debates arise in different fields. “Is electronic music really music?” Same question.

Some people will always value craft (or instrumentalism, in the music case) and so for them no it won't be art. And that’s fine.

For the rest of us art is about ideas. Brian Eno talks at length about how he allows machines (or software) to create sounds. and how his role becomes that of a curator. When the pseudo-random oscillators create a pleasing result only then does he mark that recording as one to keep. And what order does he edit and present them in? That is the art that makes his ambient music interesting.

Or consider another form of art where it's also possible to cheaply and quickly generate many, many digital images:

A professional photographer will throw away hundreds of shots and select just twelve images for their gallery exhibition.

In much the same way Nettrice Gaskins must have written or entered hundreds or thousands of prompts, and experimented with small adjustments and finally only selected the greatest results.

These are incredible and yes IMHO it is art.

That sounds right to me. Since curation has become the paramount human contribution to digital art of all forms, I suspect there will be less debate about the status of AI-driven art than there was in previous eras.

Image above by Nettrice Gaskins.

Comments

[betty tureaud]

"I suspect there will be less debate about the status of AI-driven art than there was in previous eras". I doubts that!