AI and the Degradation of Art
in which I address the current fad of AI art and what meaning and implications it has for society
If you’re online much, you’re probably aware of one of the most recent fads sweeping Internetland and that is the phenomenon of AI art. Plug a few keywords into a box and bada-bing-bada-bang: out pops something resembling a painting.
And really, it is quite convincing. Unlike other products of Modernity that call themselves “art,” such as canvases splashed with a single color (maybe two!), a banana taped to a wall (yes, really), and “sculptures” made from literal trash, this new form of modern art actually appears to be the result of real talent, and capable of holding some deeper meaning—until you realize that it was spat into the world by a soulless algorithm.
It means nothing—and, worse than that, it degrades the work of human artists as it attempts to capitalize on the fact that, yes, anyone can do it. Suddenly anyone can produce something that looks as if it took contemplation and effort, when it took neither.
The AI trend is just another example of how Modernity has eroded and degraded the very nature of art. Rather than creating because they have something meaningful to say, we have people slamming some words into a browser, shouting into the void: a vortex of meaningless noise.
Is AI art fun? Sure, I suppose there’s certainly some appeal on that front. Especially as someone who cannot do that (“that” being actual art). But the fact remains: it’s completely fraudulent, and fundamentally disrespectful of human talent, spirit, and perspective, as it pillages the hard work of real artists. Which means that it isn’t harmless—especially when people attempt to profit from it. (And this is to say nothing of the potential for even more dubious actors who may use the “art” generated by AI for deep-fake porn, or the enhancement of facial recognition technology that can track the public.)
However, this phenomenon is indicative of an even deeper, darker truth about our society, and that is this: we have become so shallow, so vapid, so dumbed-down and self-absorbed, that we have lost the ability to appreciate real art, so instead, we tolerate (and even praise) this cheap, counterfeit nonsense. We pretend that everything that calls itself “art” is somehow equal—and, in fact, that calling something “art” makes it so. Ludicrous amounts of money are spent in order to try and convince ourselves that any of this has any meaning other than as an omen of a society in decline. (Remember the banana? It sold for $120k.)
What to do about this? I wish I knew. I wish I had a solution other than to say to the real artists—the beating hearts of humanity—to keep going. I wish I could promise that your work will get the recognition it deserves, but unfortunately, we’ve fallen a bit too far for that, at least at this moment. But I do want to say this: real art matters. Your art matters. There is something sacred, something healing in the act of creating a thing with intention and meaning—a thing that takes effort and talent. And maybe, if enough of us keep trying, we can begin the process of healing our world.