Beyond considerations of the quality and originality of works produced by artificial intelligence, this recent US study raises important questions about the role of this technology in the creative process. Photo: AFP
The success of artificial intelligence software such as Midjourney, DALL-E and Stable Diffusion has raised fears that this technology could one day replace artists. But a study published in the US journal PNAS Nexus suggests that this day is not yet upon us.
In fact, the authors of this research argue that artificial intelligence does not master the emotional and practical components of creativity. They came to this conclusion after examining over four million works published on an art-sharing site between January 2022 and May 2023.
This period saw the release of the generative artificial intelligence tools DALL-E, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, which create images from a few lines of text.
The artworks analysed were shared online by 53,000 Internet users. Some of them let their imaginations run wild using traditional creative methods, while others incorporated artificial intelligence into their artistic practice.
The researchers noted that artists using generative artificial intelligence tools saw their productivity increase by 25% between January 2022 and May 2023. Their creations seem to have been a hit with users of the art-sharing site, since their works were more frequently bookmarked during the six months studied.
Nevertheless, the academics noted that the creations of "pro-IA" users became less and less innovative over time. They seemed increasingly uniform, both stylistically and conceptually. It's hard to say, however, whether they are less creative than others, as this notion is so subjective.
Beyond considerations of the quality and originality of works produced by artificial intelligence, this study raises important questions about the role of this technology in the creative process.
AI has the potential to help artists by automating certain tasks that have no added value for their creativity, and by enabling them to go beyond their technical limits.
"This paradigm shift may provide avenues for creatives to focus on what ideas they are representing rather than how they represent it, opening new opportunities for creative exploration. While concerns about automation loom, society must consider a future where generative AI is not the source of human stagnation, but rather of symphonic collaboration and human enrichment," the researchers conclude. - AFP
