Imperfect

ai art communicates

Inspired by Kami's AI Art communicates nothing.

AI art communicates, adds meaning, and has intent

You can believe that AI art doesn't communicate, add meaning, nor have intent because of its process. That said, I would argue that engaging with AI art as such inherently acknowledges the opposite claims. Discussing AI art acknowledges conveyed ideas from it, assigned significance to it, and implied purpose in how people may interpret it. All of this distinctly human artistic immersion occurs beyond the process of creation to boot.

AI art critiques from human art appreciators seem to underestimate how human-centric AI art can be while retaining said qualities. Zoom out to producers, consumers, and antecedents of AI-generated, AI-assisted, or even non-AI art. What different perceptions, conversations, or interactions could they have given any specific kind or instance of art? I would expect the opposite of your belief to, at the very least, show up as at least one answer such a question.

I can feel that my ideas and intentions get communicated through art produced via AI workflows. I can add meaning to AI art via decisions like context, values, and expected interpretations. I can impart intent into generated art via artistic styles, emotions, and other inclusions I intend for consumers to recognize. Consumers of my art can feel as though any or all of the above claims have been met, whether they have been or not. There can be value in alignment and misalignment alike.

Sharing yourself through art and connecting with authors through consuming art can be conducted with or without AI art. With tools such as generative AI, there is also the possibility of representing yourself even more by including that which you otherwise wouldn't be able to.

Lossy defaults

As far as net loss of information goes, it's everywhere. Not only is it around us, but it's within us too. Is loss by AI significant relative to other factors?

Filters? People love them, whether it's mere image filters or the countless yet unique set of filters applied to every context of our lives. Every interaction holds a different you, them, situation, and world altogether. Reality's rough edges sand down your expression in ways impossible to comprehend.

That said, I fully support using tools like AI or others to change or touch up images to be closer to your vision. With how erosive life can be at times, I appreciate how much technology has made creating human art that much more refined, expedited, accessible.

No good generations

Have you ever found an image initially thought to be good and made without AI, which was later confirmed as AI-generated?

If so, why did you find it appealing at first?

Did your perception change after learning about its origin?

Would your opinion have been different if it hadn't been known to be AI-generated?

What proportion of AI art do you think has gone undetected by you over time?

Could your answers to the above contribute to a misconception that all AI-generated images look mediocre, bad, or otherwise due to not noticing high-quality ones?

Realize your dreams

Create the art you want to create.

Do you want poorly drawn stick figures, awkward wording, and plenty of typos? Do you want the opposite of that or anything else? Use whatever processes and tools to make your dream a reality. Save your judgment for when you have made enough art worth judging.

Reuse existing filters. Remix existing styles. Sidestep the barrier of originality. Instead of calling it quits when you find your message in the wild, take someone else's and change it around. Fold your surroundings into your work and encourage others to fold your work into theirs.

Skip fearing the norm of mediocrity for evoking seriousness in your life and those you care for. Worry less about added noise and more about adding signal.

Why should you let me dictate how you should communicate or how your art can communicate? Let your mind and its agency meet your body and its faculties to choose how to create art in your lifetime. If you find that impossible, can you exercise your imagination as to how that could be possible? On that point, maybe AI has a few tricks up its sleeve that can help you out.

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