4 things human artists can do about AI art

AI art has been a hot topic in the last couple of years, due to it becoming accessible to thousands of people, shifting the way people think about and perceive art, from creating to exploring it. Many discussions boiled it all down to the most basic question of what art is, in the first place.

In this article, I’ll share some of my theoretical analysis of this topic as well, but first of all, I’ll bring you practical tips on how you can fight AI art or in less radical terms, how you can adapt to this new world where AI art exists and will continue to evolve and where human artists will need to find ways to be smart about keeping their place in it.

TLDR: Change is here, and you need to adapt.

The lawsuits happening against AI companies are definitely something, some of them baring good news too, but you cannot wait around for those to make it to the end in who knows how many years and give precedent to establish a relationship between art and technology that suits both worlds and those in it.

If you sit back, wait, ponder about why the world is unfair, even if it is, you’ll be kept in an illusion and left behind in the real world. I don’t like that this world can forget ethics either, I’m confused that I have to use the term “human artist” because you need that distinction now, and I don’t love that I have to write an article about this, but here we are.

Phew. One thing at a time, okay?

What can human artists do about AI and AI art?
(you need to read this)
Can we talk about the ethics and reality of AI art?
(I had to write this)

What can human artists do about AI and AI art?

1. Learn about the topic of AI and its connection to art and creators.

Not knowing means you’ll be left behind and seriously risk your chance of survival as an artist. Get your head in the game.

I saw comments from artists saying they hate this technology, that they’re disgusted by it, they won’t ever use it and while getting the basic idea, they basically refuse to deal with it and don’t wish to know anything about it.

There’s truth in that, just like there’s truth in a scenario where a small creator or a small creative business owner quite honestly isn’t allowed to have the same opinion, unless they want to be erased by this new era. Casualties are a given when such historical change occurs, because I believe this is one that marks our time for better or worse, but you can fight not the be one even if all arrows point in your direction.

Choose to be informed, choose to learn and see your possibilities.

2. Share with others what you’ve learned about AI and help them learn.

When this happens, you’ll ultimately learn from others too, get their perspectives, whether that’s the same as yours or if it clashes with your viewpoints. Keeping up discussions around this will also help you and others not miss out on anything crucial going on in the topic, and again: you won’t get left behind, at least not as easily as if you’d keep your head in the sand.

Please, don’t overlook one foundational aspect of our humanity, our need and skill to bond and belong to and build a community. Let’s not hate each other from point zero without being willing to talk and dismiss others instantly. Let’s not fight with each other pointlessly, only wanting to pass our own ideas, but argue with the purpose and the ability to listen and consider.

There’s a reason there are artists with AI-generated works in museums or sold for a high price. There’s a reason artists are uncomfortable with AI technology.

Discover those reasons.

_{Photo by Egor Myznik}

3. Discuss arguments to figure out how it’s possible to explore AI without causing harm.

Let me demonstrate my line of thought here, proposing pro and con arguments.

Is there space for using current AI art tools without causing harm? 🥊

Harm is already debatable, considering the copyright infringement issue that is the biggest problem with today’s software using AI models, but until these technologies are not regulated, could someone perhaps use it for inspiration? Would that be more or less okay as opposed to publicly sharing them as “new” works completely, or selling them and making a profit?

Human art itself, for hundreds of years now, as many artists and art historians said it before me, has also been about looking at what other artists do and taking that as inspiration. I know some hate that quote by Pablo Picasso, but in my opinion, it is not entirely untrue: “Good artists copy; great artists steal.”

Sure, he didn’t mean for you to accept and indulge in direct theft. This sentiment is more about seeing and taking what others did, innovating it and evolving it with your own approach, and crafting it into something new that carries its own value.

And, this is my main problem with AI art. On one hand, in its current form, you are stealing in the sense that artists didn’t give permission for the algorithm and for you to use their works in any capacity. On the other hand, if this copyright infringement issue weren’t there, taking works with the creator’s permission, adding your own touch and skills to it, and then turning it into something new that way—wouldn’t that be valuable and acceptable then?

Food for thought, I guess.

4. Adapt as an artist, and start now.

I won’t break out the history lessons on how each time machines took a step in evolution, using human help, made said humans need to adapt and survive their times. In art alone, there were so many shifts like that, including photography and video cameras, questioning what art means, and what it means to be an artist specifically.

Let’s just point out that our present is very similar to those times in history, and I agree with those creators who remind their communities that we need to take some steps here to survive the best we can.

In this subject, I really liked the thoughtfulness and practicality of Jake Parker’s video of “Join the Fight Against AI Art!” who is a New York Times best-selling illustrator. I’d like to highlight two ideas from his video, and recommend one of our articles additionally:

Look at your art career and think about whether this new technology will alter it significantly to the point of maybe diminish it as it is. Essentially, are you competing against AI as a creator or will you likely be in the near future? 🚦

If so, make a change. Stock photography? Creating logos? Designing album art covers? These can be easily and quickly done by a machine, whether you like it or not, or whether you think it carries artistic value or not.

In these cases, the hard truth of the economy’s ways will interfere, as well: the machine will be cheaper and will provide an end result that can be perfectly aesthetic or simply perfect for the given purpose, according to somebody who’ll accept it as such. And somebody will.

Add your human touch and human value. 🤗

You can’t be all digital. AI will definitely win there.

You need to have a tangible element of your craft that, at least how things stand now, cannot be copied or produced as nearly the same digitally. Some artist have been doing this already, just for different reasons. Many digital illustrators create and sell physical prints, for instance. They turn their drawings into keychains or put it on mugs, giving their art a functional outlet.

Think about how you can do the same thing.

Protect your existing artworks from AI. 🛑

We have a list of steps you can take to do your best to AI-proof your existing artwork in this article about how you can protect your art from AI.

None of the possibilities out there aimed at the same purpose are entirely bulletproof, but this doesn’t mean you cannot try. It could be a false hope, but you might sleep better at night knowing that you did something, instead of nothing, exposing your work to AI algorithms entirely effortlessly.

Take a look at the ideas and don’t give up.

These are the tips that I think you can find practical enough as a human artist in this era where AI is actually a competition for you.

Here are other resources I recommend on the topic as discussion-starters:

In the rest of the article, I’ll share my thoughts on the topic of AI art from a wider and more theoretical perspective. Consider this my essay I had to write but you certainly doesn’t have to read, only if you’d like.

Can we talk about the ethics and reality of AI art?

An Erank survey revealed that 25.4% of people are open to buying AI-generated products on Etsy, 8.3% are neutral, and 5.2% haven’t even considered it before. An additional 35.8% say they might consider it depending on the product.

Allow me to total that: 74.7% of people have no or no big problem with buying AI-generated products on Etsy as opposed to the 25.3% who consciously prefer handmade or human-designed items.

This is the customer side of things and therefore a snapshot of what interests and demand look like these days. The survey results don’t point to people deliberately looking to buy AI products but the fact that the majority wouldn’t mind buying one, especially if it’s lower-priced than a similar but handmade, original one, which is what we see everywhere, you’ll know which one they’ll pick in the majority of cases.

It seems that once again, the economy is not on the side of art (although humans might be?), and the big players don’t seem to be helping.

_{Photo by PEPYTO .}

So, Etsy is okay with AI

Etsy, as one of the biggest e-commerce marketplaces, has very likely been monitoring all of this long before the survey came out, and decided to specify what type of AI work can be sold on the site.

In short, sellers can use their original prompts in combination with AI tools to create the artwork they sell on Etsy. If their AI prompt is original and the artwork they use as input is their original piece of work, it’s allowed.

Plus, they need to disclose in the product description that the item was created with the use of AI.

Are we okay with AI on Etsy (or anywhere else)?

Here’s a food for thought. Even if an artist uses their original prompt and their original art as part of generating a new piece of work, the underlying AI technology will tap into sources that do not belong to said artist.

The copyright issue is there since the technology breaches the copyright of other artists whose work ended up in the resource pool (they didn’t give permission for the algorithm and those using the algorithm to utilise their work this way).
Also, those artists who were used for the learning process of the algorithm, are still not paid anything for the use of their work. And, when somebody makes money off of an AI-generated creation, it becomes even more unfair.

This is the baseline I see. Now, let’s dig a bit deeper.

The reality and ethics of selling AI art on Etsy

In this video, Jensen Tung documented how he tried selling AI art prints on Etsy for 30 days. He ended up losing money, and also gave a good example of how hard it is to be successful on Etsy just in general now.

This article details another AI-driven Etsy experiment that ended poorly. Both examples showed me again how different the creation of an AI-generated piece is from an original artwork. I’m not saying that no work has been put into the whole process, but:

… anytime I see someone demonstrating how relatively easy it is to use an AI tool for image generation, I’m stunned to speak—because I see and talk to creators who create wonderful artwork and struggle to make a living already, and now I know that they have to compete with a few taps or clicks of a mouse.

If anybody tells me “Okay, but this is a new era and not the first time people need to adapt to something different”, I’d like them to consider that as far as I know, we’ve also become smarter in general since the last time such a shift that impacted humanity and entire societies happened. I’d like to think that we’re smarter now, we realise when something is unfair and know that it’s our duty to make it right.

So here’s my question:

Does letting AI into several fields of our lives mean that we have to throw our hands up when seeing the disadvantages, like copyright infringement, and the exploitation of creators creatively and financially, saying “Well, this is just how it is, a new era, what can you do?”

_{Photo by Kamil Klyta}

Let’s not be neutral

From the Erank statistics, the number of people who are neutral about AI products might be even scarier to me than those who are simply okay with it. Staying silent and neutral has never proved to be okay in history, not once.

I understand that we’re in a new era, I do, but can nobody with the power and resources actually stand and speak up and figure out a way to make it not harmful? Okay, that was perhaps a useless rant. Let’s move. 👇

Like many said before me, the problem is not the technology itself but that it can be used for the wrong purposes. I agree, and let me point you to this video where artist and creative marketer Pam Duthie gives a very fair and thorough breakdown of AI and Etsy, highlighting possible pros and cons.

Make sure you expand your thoughts on the topic because this is a complex thing.

First of all, let’s think about how in many countries, people are legally restricted from using and buying certain things because those things can cause harm to another being, which made me realise that:

Until AI technology is limited by certain restrictions, the harm will stay. Creators will be hurt from a legal, financial and creative perspective, as long as there’s no higher power, so to speak, to raise a few fences.

We need technology and legislation to meet up, shake hands and do something quickly (although, as painful as it is, that’s never an easy ride).

As you saw the statistics before, you can’t just rely on people shaping (reducing) the demand for AI products. So many cannot even tell if the artwork is AI-generated (in lieu of correct labelling), or are simply not informed well about what AI-generated truly means. This is now also the era of AI hallucinations and biased content, where AI can make mistakes without people even assuming that can happen, and so never realizing that the information they were given is incorrect.

This is such a mess, friends.

So, what now?

All in all, I cannot, and I think nobody can, give you a risk-free recipe for making all this work. I’m simply a firm believer that people can adapt.

Part of it something I like, the aspect of our ability to evolve, and part of it something I hate—because why do we need to change things all the time and have the constant need to “improve” things for the “better” while misunderstanding what better means, often sacrificing humanity, ethics and fairness?

With that being said, beyond asking “why”, we simply cannot put our heads in the sand, contemplating, contemplating and contemplating on the world being unfair. That is where you, sadly, will be left alone. This wouldn’t happen in an ideal world, but…

I’m sorry, and I hate this, too.

Now. Let’s get to work.

_{Featured image by Maxim Berg}

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4 things human artists can do about AI art + the ethics and reality of making and selling AI art