AI is deeply embedded in our daily lives. It is now entering the field of art, which many consider irreplaceable by anything other than humans. AI can produce diverse and rapid artistic creations. As a result, will there be fewer opportunities for artists? What stance should we adopt in the era of AI-generated art? ....................Ed
AI(Artificial intelligence) now paints, composes music, and writes poetry things that once seemed unimaginable. With the rise of generative AI, machines have become creators, and the boundaries of art, once thought sacred, are now increasingly blurred.
AI-generated art comes in many forms. In music, programs like Amper Music, AIVA, and Jukebox can compose songs based on genre and mood. In visual arts, tools like Midjourney and DALL·E produce intricate images from simple text prompts. ChatGPT writes scripts, poems, and advertising copy, establishing its presence in the literary field. Even at this moment, AI is actively engaged in diverse creative processes.
The biggest strength of AI in the arts is its productivity. It allows everyday users to easily and quickly create content without significant cost, effectively lowering the barriers to artistic creation. On social media, AI-generated content is widely shared, which many view as a positive move toward the democratization of art.
Yet art is more than just a final product. AI does not feel emotions or have personal experiences, nor can it form its own creative motivations. What moves us in art is the artist’s thought, story, and life behind the work. When we ask, ‘Why was this created?’, AI inevitably faces a fundamental limitation.
The music industry is particularly feeling the impact of AI. Streaming platforms now offer background music tailored to users’ tastes, and music for ads or short-form videos is often auto-generated. While this boosts efficiency, it also threatens the role of human composers and raises questions about copyright and compensation. Still, rather than reject AI, many artists are seeking new creative models of ‘collaboration.’ Humans propose ideas and messages, while AI realizes them quickly and in varied forms opening doors to new possibilities in art through the fusion of human creativity and AI.
Art has always evolved alongside technology. Just as photography once challenged painting, and electronic instruments transformed traditional music, AI is now taking its place in this continuum. What matters is not that technology replaces art, but that it expands the scope of human expression. Though AI-generated art may not be perfect, it compels us to ask essential questions: can we still define art as an exclusively human domain?
Park Si-eun (ST Reporter)
sally4480@soongsil.ac.kr
