The question of AI stealing jobs in art is one that has been asked and considered over and over again.
The topic has been a hot-button issue since the rising popularity of generative AI applications in the last few years. Art has elements that only human artists can express — that is, the human flaw, the human creativity, and the human imagination that many agree AI will never have. The human element of art is what draws people to it. While several worry that AI will take over the art world, the topic is more nuanced than that.
Alex Newsome, a junior at Otterbein University with a concentration in graphic design, said, “Human element is so hard to take out of art … you know that there's history there. You know that there's intention. You know that somebody sat there and devoted time, effort, and emotion into it.”
Arguably, the progression of these AI applications would affect Newsome’s future career considerably in her concentration, though she said, “For my specific concentration being graphic design, all of my work is so heavily reliant on the personable aspect of it. So, I'm not as worried about it as my drawing concentration friends might be or illustration concentration friends might be.”
Newsome said that while the thought of plugging something into AI and getting a fast result for the customer might be appealing, she was aware that there is no sustainability or growth available in that path. “But then when it doesn't turn out the way that you want it to, you can try to make the corrections, but a computer only understands so much.”
Human connection and personability is something that is so hugely important to art. Newsome continued, “I know I specified for graphic design, but in all aspects of art, you do need somebody there, some sort of human element. Whether it be just the artists themselves or someone that you bounce ideas off of.”
Newsome said that her job is essentially being constantly told her art is not good enough, which allowed her to work and shape her art to the will of her client. Though that might sound brutal, she said, “So that was something that AI just couldn't replicate.” Newsome said the core of art for her is personal connection and understanding the client, being flexible and open to ideas, something AI can’t do.
Otterbein University alumna Emily Rogers agreed with the sentiment that human connection is vastly important to art. “To have that human connection is kind of what helps makes a good design,” said Rogers.
While thinking of how AI is progressing into the art world, hands-on art is something that Rogers was confident AI can’t find a place in. She worked for a paint-your-own-pottery shop while in school and now has a job with a sign-making company. When she is asked by others if she feels threatened by AI, she said she leans back on this work experience as an example of fields AI can’t be incorporated into yet.
“People have such a love for human-made artwork,” Rogers said. She talked about her experiences selling art at the Otterbein art markets and how a lot of business she would get at her booth would be from other artists. “The connection has to be there.”
Though there seems to be a negative connotation around AI in art, the topic is more nuanced. Andrew McNamara, an art professor at Otterbein, sees AI as a helpful tool in the art world.
“There are things that AI can do that help artists and designers work faster or problem solve quicker, especially in terms of research,” said McNamara. While McNamara has concerns about art fully made by AI making it into the art world, there are things that don’t worry him as much. “What doesn't concern me is AI works of art ever replacing the work of working artists.”
Similar to the ideas of what Newsome said about aspects of art made by humans that are irreplaceable, McNamara shares a similar point of view. McNamara says, “There are things … that are inherent to that process that are so personal and human-driven and derived from very human points of view or experience. For no foreseeable future do I think technology could ever mimic that point of view.”
While McNamara sees AI as a useful tool and uses it for research or to help render designs, he says that there are flaws in AI, and while it can be useful, it is also frustrating. “There are a lot of times where I've tried to generate prompts where no version of that creates what I'm trying to achieve,” he said.
McNamara brings up an interesting point about NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that blew up a few years ago. He pointed out that much of the art sold with these NFTs was created by AI before the generative AI we have today really started to gain popularity. He connects this to how emotions in art can be influenced by other variables.
"They [people buying the art] were creating feelings toward pieces that, on their own, didn’t really mean anything," said McNamara. "But there was a number attached to them that made them seem like they had inherent value.” Overall, McNamara doesn’t see AI as a threat to the art world, but rather as a tool. He says that his personal life and lived experiences will always set him and his art apart from that of technology.
Ava Manno, an English and social work major at Ohio State University, feels similar to the sentiment that the human aspect is what makes art appealing. “The fact that it's made by humans is what makes it art,” said Manno. Different from the previous artists, Newsome, Rogers, and McNamara, Manno’s art is largely based in poetry.
Similar to Newsome’s statement on not being able to get what you want out of AI, Manno said, “You can train it as hard as you want, it's not gonna be able to feel things,” citing that emotions are the biggest thing human artists have that AI never will. Since working in a slightly different medium than the other artists, Manno isn’t threatened by the idea of AI, but rather more invigorated because of it.
“I think AI becoming more popular in art spaces has pushed me to make more art, just to push back on the AI aspect of it,” said Manno. She continues to emphasize that humanity will never be replaced by a machine. “I’m gonna do it, and it's not gonna be perfect, and it's gonna be human.”
The sentiment that is understood from the artists is that human nature, connection, flaw, and aspect run through art continuously. While AI might be looked at and used as a tool, it will never overpower or overtake what human artists have. “I don't think it overshadows humans because ... you're a human," said Manno. "You made that art. There's emotion behind it. It's never gonna be as good.”
Manno, being a sophomore, has been asked to use AI in classes. Though she completes the assignments, she said she hates the incorporation of it into art. To new artists who might feel threatened, she said, “The people that you want to see your art, the people that you are gonna want to receive criticism from, are not concerned about AI. A person who's worth talking to in the art space will never even bring that up.”
As a junior, Newsome has experience with exploring art in different genres. To artists who might be scared by the threat of AI, Newsome suggests trying different concentrations and putting a hand in everything, and finding something that fits and what works. Though Newsome doesn’t believe AI is a major threat, she said, “What you bring being a human artist, AI can never compete with because, like we've mentioned before, you do have the flaws, you have the communication aspect.”
Rogers, having graduated from Otterbein, sees the reality of the art world and her career being affected by AI. As of now, it is not affected because of the hands-on aspect of her work. This experience leads her to dismiss the fear new artists might feel. She said, “Not all aspects of art are going to be threatened by AI. Don’t have to worry about the entire art field going away.” AI has yet to find a way into physical art and has not threatened this area of the field.
McNamara doesn’t view AI as a huge threat to the art world, but more as a tool. “In design and art specifically, people are drawn to individual designers because each designer or artist brings something unique to the table that someone else can’t,” said McNamara. Finding identity as an artist is something that sets human art apart from AI. “I would focus on investing in and understanding what your visual language looks like and what makes you invaluable — what makes you the right person for a job over another artist or designer, and especially over something like AI."
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