AI Art Has an Image Problem — But Not For Long
These days, when someone calls you a Luddite, it’s to let you know how backwards your views are on technology. Early in the 19th century, a group of English textile workers known as the Luddites opposed the use of machinery, especially in the textile industry.
The Vulgarity of Printed Books
Before moveable type was made, almost every book was just a collection of handwritten pages. Books were expensive and rare among commoners. Woodcut printing started the change, but that was time intensive and expensive.
The moveable type system of printing was revolutionary in many respects. It brought the cost of printed materials down to the point where regular folks could have access to books and pamphlets.
The aristocracy was not into this new system of printing. For the masses, books were vulgar and strict. The religious leaders were not pleased at first.
Gutenberg was savvy enough to make the Bible his first extensive project. Some religious higher-ups thought monks would get lazy if they weren’t toiling over hand-painted manuscripts every day.
Tech and It Detractors Throughout History
The Luddites thought that machines were taking away their jobs and making them poor, so they did things to break down machines as a form of protest.
This kind of sentiment is not uncommon with advances in technology, particularly in this day and age regarding artificial intelligence (AI). I understand the backlash to AI imagery (I’ve yet to call it art) because we humans have been pushing against technology all the way back to the days of cave paintings.
19th Century: The Silver Revolution
Photography was loved by the masses, but got quite a lot of pushback from the art community. Before Joseph Nicéphore Niépce made the camera, people paid an artist to make a picture of their family to keep forever. The artists were unique and talented. Some were even revered.
At the time, photography caused a huge change in this way of thinking because it was new and quick. You could have a family portrait in your house and on your wall in a day! Let’s not forget the most prolific driver of technology: porn!
In the 19th century, many fine artists, like Gustave Courbet, were not fans of photography as an art form. Courbet was one of the leaders of the French Realism movement. Commercial artists like Alphonse Mucha embraced photography for its value as a source of reference images.
Photography as Art
Museum galleries were reluctant to display photography for decades. Jordan G. Teicher covered this topic in a brief article, “When Photography Wasn’t Art.” Although the controversy wasn’t as loud as it is today regarding AI images, there was still a stink to be had.
“When critics weren’t wringing their hands about photography, they were deriding it. They saw photography merely as a thoughtless mechanism for replication, one that lacked, “that refined feeling and sentiment which animate the productions of a man of genius,” as one expressed in an 1855 issue of The Crayon. As long as, “invention and feeling make up essential qualities in a work of Art,” the writer argued, “photography can never assume a higher rank than engraving.”
Photography is now seen as a creative medium, and even though every Tom, Dick, and Harry has one on their phones, museums and galleries still show amazing works by famous photographers. Wedding photographers are still a thing, and the paparazzi are still out there making folks’ lives miserable.
Did Photoshop Kill the Airbrush?
Around the age of seven, I wanted to become an artist. I also wanted to be a photographer and a scientist. Well, getting two out of three ain’t bad, as they say. I idolized noted artists like Leindecker, Rockwell, and Faucet, who gave us amazing images in popular magazines back in the day.
In art school, the names of movie poster illustrators were passed around like MLB stars. Bob Peak, Bernie Fuchs, Drew Struzan and others inspired us to dream of adventure and to one day replace them on the commercial art pedestal.
In the early 1980s and early 1990s, it was both boring and exciting to work as a commercial artist. The work was intense, and the hours were long. I worked in advertising, comics, book illustration, and even as a production artist on The David Letterman Show and Saturday Night Live. Back then, the airbrush was king.
Photo retouching with fine brushes is an art that’s as old as photography itself. That was the standard tool for almost 100 years. For many decades, the airbrush replaced it as the de facto tool for the job.
Along came the personal computer in the late 80s, and by 1990, Photoshop was being used as a photo retouching tool. We were also creating art with it, but it took a while for the comics industry to adapt to the change.
By the end of the 1990s, the advertising industry and publishing houses were happy to include digital art into their workflows. Digital retouching dominates the industry to this day.
Movie posters, books, and magazine illustrations moved to photography and digital art. Digital workflows eclipsed the well-known illustrators. The old masters of illustration had their pedestals taken away.
Are there still airbrush artists thriving in their medium? Sure thing. If you’re into photo restoration, you can still get those super-fine hog hair or sable brushes. They are still in use in the 21st century.
AI Ain’t Going Nowhere
AI imagery is a type of digital imaging that uses artificial intelligence to make pictures that look anything from very real to like cartoons. Businesses and other groups have used this technology for years to make high-quality photos and illustrations.
Traditional ways of taking pictures can take a long time or cost a lot of money, so people are looking for faster and cheaper ways to make pictures. The issue with this technology was that it was previously prohibitively expensive to use... until now.
The Biggest Players
AI has been a major game-changer in the coming digital age. Tech giants like Amazon.com, Inc., Google LLC, Apple Inc., Facebook, International Business Machines Corporation, and Microsoft are putting a lot of money into AI research and development.
Businesses can save time with AI imagery by automating tasks like taking photos or drawing sketches. It also produces high-quality photos that can be used online or in printed materials like brochures, catalogs, and other marketing materials.
What does all this talk about the good old days have to do with AI imagery? All the worry about AI imaging and art style theft is a knee-jerk reaction to the early stages of the progress of an unfamiliar technology. Will it change the business of selling art and graphics? Yes. It will, for better and worse.
Two Engines Driving this Train
There is enormous demand for content right now. Consumers want convenience, and producers want speed and efficiency in production. This massive tech drive isn’t really about enabling geeks to create celebrity nudes and anime girls in their mom’s basement.
“The global artificial intelligence market size was valued at USD 93.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.1% from 2022 to 2030." "The continuous research and innovation directed by the tech giants is driving the adoption of advanced technologies in industry verticals such as automotive, healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing.” Grandview Research
AI Defense Against Fake News
Social media and the proliferation of cell phones have already made their mark on reality and popular culture. Too many humans have always had a problem discerning what’s real and what’s not. Social media has evolved into the ideal digital drug. Artificial intelligence will only make that problem more pronounced.
However, AI can also be part of the solution to misinformation and propaganda that proliferate across social media. AI technology can help in the fight against fake news.
Projects like Fandango, created to do far more than simple algorithms can when evaluating data. Francesco Nucci is the head research director of Engineering Group, the company handling the project.
Let’s get back to porn for a moment. Anyone remember when pop stars were complaining about having their heads “photoshopped” onto naked bodies? Photoshop has given celebrities a lot of headaches over the last two decades. With the help of AI, chuds and their computers can now turn this headache into a migraine that never stops, without any obvious seams or other signs of photo-trickery.
“Nucci explains that today, images and videos can easily be manipulated, whether through simple Photoshop techniques or more complex techniques like deep fakes. Fandango’s systems can reverse-engineer those changes, and use algorithms to help journalists spot manipulated content.” Horizon
There is a Bright Side
As a guy who loves art, photography, and storytelling, this new tool is going to make the rest of my life a joy. As my eyesight fades and my fingers have trouble with the stylus (I gave up pens, paints, and inks a long time ago), I’m going to be telling my computer what I want to create.
Artificial intelligence will be used by people who never touched a brush but longed for the chance to create something interesting. It’s already being considered for teaching creative styles, techniques, and other skills.
Like the early stages of photography, AI imagery has its advocates and its detractors. Lawsuits are already being drafted, and big corporations are champing at the bit to see how they can capitalize on this new trend.
If you already use apps and filters on your phone for social media cred, by this time next year, be prepared for a lot more convenient features to take advantage of on your mobile device.
With AI, there will be a lot more ways to use voice search, as well as more personal security and specialized help. Among the biggest winners will be people with health and wellness issues. Smart devices will get even smarter.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis
So, what about all those artists who will lose their high-paying jobs due to AI image proliferation? That will be up to the public’s acceptance of the new styles, and people will still create art by hand in many forms of media. That will not change.
Those who want to adapt to become more proficient (as Alfonse Mucha did with the camera) will add one more amazing tool to their bag of tricks.
As a creative type, I still dabble in art, design, and photography, even in my “sunset” years. I create digital assets for game designers on CGTrader.com. My writing partner and I are also updating all the comics-related IPs that were published back in the 1990s. I’m also training AI to work in my art style.
We humans will never stop being creative or coming up with new ways to communicate. Whether we’re painting sex acts on a cave wall 37,000 years ago, or creating virtual reality cut scenes for video games, we’ll keep forging ahead with boundless enthusiasm.
The Luddites will always be there to protest or warn us of the dire consequences, and that’s a good thing. However, commerce and popular opinion will push us forward. Our AI overlords will see to that. Art is long, and life is short.
Conclusion
Ok, I’ve done my part. Now it’s your turn. Join the conversation and let us know what you think of AI and its place in our social revolution. I usually drone on about marketing and content creation, but sometimes I go off script. Catch more of my musings on Medium. Connect with me at https://contentmarketingmagic.co/blog for more information on online marketing.
