Are AI artworks considered art or math?

Technological developments that surround our entire lives have brought many innovations to the art world. Robots paint, works created with artificial intelligence are exhibited in the art gallery, sold at auctions, and ranked in competitions. But with every success of artificial intelligence, the debate in the art world grows. Are the works of algorithms in artificial intelligence supported programs a work of art? And who is the artist? Although a group argues that what has been done can never replace classical art and has made art a sub-part of popular culture, the number of people who are excited about the technology-art collaboration is increasing day by day.

 New technologies have led to significant developments and innovations in the art world in recent years. Digitization has begun to be effective in all areas of art, from production to the exhibition of the work. However, this digitalization has brought many discussions. The art world, which is in the discussion of whether NFT works are art or not, this time faced with visually very effective works made with artificial intelligence supported programs.

For one group in the art world, traditional art is dying, for another group, artificial intelligence is unique works of art. There is also a third group; both respect and support the existing and follow the developments with excitement. In short, the discussions are endless.

Who is making these pictures?

There are many questions to be answered on the basis of the discussion…. Who is making these pictures? The computer, or the collection of artworks used to teach that computer to paint? If the machine learns to ‘paint’ from other works, will the copyright of the owner of that work be violated? Does this count as labor exploitation?

Because it is possible to produce a work of art with artificial intelligence with a single click. That’s how easy it is to create a very impressive painting. Basically, when you write the word you want to artificial intelligence systems, the algorithms prepare the image you want, in the type you want.

However, these developments cause legal debates about what art is, artificial intelligence replacing traditional art materials such as brushes and canvases, and ethical debates as well as who and what art belongs to.

“Artificial intelligence has an important place in the art market of the future”

Christie’s, the auction house in New York, sold the world’s first artifact produced with artificial intelligence in 2018 with a record number. The painting named Edmond de Belamy, made by artificial intelligence, was exhibited in Christie’s hall for a while and found a buyer for 432,500 dollars, 40 times the figure in the auction held in September 2018. It was not disclosed who bought the painting by participating in the auction, which lasted 7 minutes, by phone. One of the participants in the sale made an offer online, two people over the phone and one person from the hall. Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, “painted” by the algorithm developed by Paris-based art collective Obvious, is the signature of an artificial intelligence program. A database of 15,000 portraits produced between the 14th and 20th centuries was used to reveal the painting printed on canvas.

“Some are more inspired by machine-generated art”

While it was expected to sell for 7 to 10 thousand dollars, the painting found buyers within minutes for 432 thousand dollars. “Could this painting really be considered a work of art?” ignited the controversy. To this question, Ahmed Elgammal, who uses CAN (Creative Adversarial Networks) technology, replied, “Some are more inspired by machine-generated art.” Ahmed Elgammal, director of the Art and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, said, “I am surprised by the output I get every time I run it.”

“Artificial intelligence has an important place in the art market of the future”

From the Obvious collective, which developed the algorithm for which the work was prepared, “We are living an exciting moment. We hope this sale shines a light on the admirable work of our pioneers and colleagues.” Hugo Caselles-Dupré, from the Obvious collective, when it comes to a work made with artificial intelligence, said, “If the artist creates the image in question, then the machine takes this honor. No, if the artist is holding the image and wants to share the message, then this honor belongs to us.” he replied. “Artificial intelligence is just one of the technologies that will have an important place in the art market of the future,” said Richard Lloyd, Christie’s expert, who organized the sale.

Artificial intelligence wins award

No conclusion has been reached since then. A painting drawn by artificial intelligence recently won an award in the fine arts competition of the Colorado State Exhibition in the USA, and the debate has flared up again. Jason Allen, president of Colorado-based game company Incarnate Games, won the competition with an image he created in Midjourney, an artificial intelligence program that produces images based on given words. The French “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” (Space Opera Theatre) depicts a scene that seems to be taken from a space opera and looks like a masterful painting.

“Admit it bro, art is dead”

Allen himself announced that the digital art production of the competition was the winner and that 300 deliveries would be sent. Emphasizing that the human components of the works in question are effective, Allen said, “I create images with Midjourney, I make transitions with Photoshop, and I get top quality using gigapixels.”

However, different interpretations were made for the award-winning painting. One juror said the painting evoked Renaissance art and was very impressive. “Entering a competition with a painting done in Midjourney is like participating in a marathon with a Lamborghini,” said another. Another comment was, “Even high-status professions are at risk of becoming obsolete if they are not protected from the destructive machinery.”

The most striking statement came from the winner of the award… Jason Allen, in an interview published in the New York Times on September 2, showed how clear the results were compared to his own results by saying, “Admit it bro, art is dead”.

Artificial intelligence is not allowed!

While these discussions continue, ‘painting’ works such as Midjourney, Dall-e 2, Stable Diffusion attract great attention by many sectors for different purposes and are becoming increasingly common. So much so that artificial intelligence writes comics, draws for children’s books, designs album and book covers, and even hosts awards in art competitions.

Some art platforms, which think that ‘painting’ computer programs exploit the labor of artists and take away their copyright, have banned pictures produced with the support of artificial intelligence. Bringing together the artists who produce images about furry animals, Fur Affinity stated that the pictures produced by the online computer ‘the artistic perspective is lacking’, “Our aim is to support the artists and their content. It is not about enjoying the content artists produced with the support of artificial intelligence,” he said. Pictures produced in programs containing the same things said to be accepted on the site.

AI-powered robot painter Ai-Da is here

While we couldn’t accept what the algorithms were doing, we went one step further and artificial intelligence took on the flesh and bones and the robot artist appeared as Ai-Da. The artificial intelligence-supported artist robot Ai-Da became known for portrait of Queen Elizabeth II who recently passed away. The painting called “Queen of Algorithm” was unveiled by Ai-Da just before Elizabeth’s “Platinum Jubilee” event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession.

“Even though I am not alive, I can still create art”

Named after the British mathematician Ada Lovelace, Ai-Da has many works, including a portrait of Elizabeth II. Some of the robot artist’s works were also exhibited in art galleries. Developed by scientists from Oxford University, Ai-Da recently answered the questions of lawmakers in the UK Parliament. When asked how his works differ from human-made works, the robot artist replied, “I am composed of and depend on computer programs and algorithms. However, I can still create art even if I am not alive.” With this attitude, Ai-Da became the source of yet another problem. Can a robot become a painter?

Data turns into art

Although most of the discussion in general is based on the art of painting, the data turns into literary texts, symphonies, paintings, sculptures with technology. To date, we have witnessed many artificial intelligence products that have surprised us all. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest names in music history, a group of musicologists, composers and computer scientists came together in 2019 to complete the German composer’s unfinished 10th Symphony. Beethoven’s sketches, as well as the works of the German composer’s contemporaries, were taught to the computer. The resulting work was presented to the audience as part of Beethovenfest on October 9, 2021. The robot Sophia, whom we all know most closely, made a splash with its exhibition opened in March 2021. First introduced in 2016 by Hong Kong-based technology company Hanson Robotics, Sophia is auctioning digital artworks in NFT format. Many more examples can be listed. It is clear that algorithms will continue to produce creative works. It is a prediction accepted by everyone that technology and art will become more intertwined. No matter how much technology develops, as impressive as algorithms emerge, in the end, a group will continue to be happy and excited, and a group will continue to strive to keep these works out of art. Will artificial intelligence be accepted in the art world? Time will tell the answer.