The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has surged in recent years with the creation of more AI technologies that can perform both basic and advanced functions and tasks. AI also has the increasing capability to perform machine learning, which can result in improved processes and new innovations across various industries. We are seeing how AI can be remarkably transformative in our lives and help streamline our human activities. While there are many strengths to AI, there are instances where the use of AI can overstep ethical boundaries and becomes a controversy. One of which is the use of AI in art.

Coming from someone who has been in the landscape architecture industry for over 8 years and who has started a brand from digital art about 3 years ago, I find AI art both terrifying and exciting. Don’t get me wrong - I am 100% in support of local artists creating original art. I am simply excited about the fact that we can use AI as a tool to help provide inspiration and ideas, NOT for generating art. I have played with Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator and ChatGPT because I was curious about the results and some were useful and some were not.

The terrifying part is where we end up with more and more AI art, taking over original art that artists have fought to preserve and making a living out of. Etsy has already started to become a space where AI generated art are being sold, blurring the lines between what is handmade and what is artificial. A majority of consumers may lean more towards AI art because it could be more affordable and embraces a certain style that people like. While this can be discouraging, think of it this way: there would always be customers who prefer that, but there are a handful of customers who wants an original piece made by a real artist and person.

Also, as much as I secretly want an AI tool to create an original landscape design and build a construction document set from it, there are so many nuances, including site conditions, client preferences, multi-disciplinary coordination, and so on, that really make it truly impossible for AI to replace my job - for now. Following this perspective, I share five reasons why AI won’t replace artists.

Reason 1: The need for local artists is still prevalent

Art organizations, Art Board Commissions, and local groups in support of art have been around longer than AI art and have always sought out local artists to perform work and commissions. There is still a Call for Artists (COF) that seeks local artists to help beautify indoor or outdoor spaces, from utility boxes to mural walls to outdoor sculptural pieces. Also, many community members support having art made by local artists in spaces such as cafes/restaurants, healthcare environments, utility boxes, and public parks because of the added aesthetic, educational, or inspirational value it can bring.

In an essence, while AI currently can generate digital art, it cannot physically paint a wall or create a ceramic sculpture. Sure, someone can print an AI generated image to have a physical presence in a space, but the next question is if the overseeing committee or organization would want an art piece like that. Generally, most organizations would want to support real people and artists from the community to maintain community identity, as well as, embracing human creativity and originality.

Art is more than the art itself, it can be about community building too. Collaborative art where high schoolers paint a mural together can be incredibly bonding and exciting. Art classes and workshops are still valuable for both child development and adult experiences, so the need for art teachers is still there. My high school art teacher was influential to my formative years of learning art, along with my professors from college and graduate school.

Brands are also looking to collaborate with artists and feature their work in their products or stores. This not only adds artistic and creative value, but also helps reach new audiences and increase brand recognition. By partnering with artists, a company can build up their image, as well as support a stance or movement, such as a women-owned or LGBTQIA+ business. Doing this can make a brand more relatable and trustworthy, benefitting all parties of the partnership.

Perhaps to save costs, some brands in the future may consider using AI art instead but, along the same lines as before, would consumers want a design created by AI? Would they care if it was anyway, as long as it looks good? I also think brands would want to maintain some sort of transparency and would share if they used an AI generated art, but maybe they won’t. Time will only tell.

Based on what I shared, you may think the most artists at risk are those that create digital work, such as digital, photography, and digitized work. Yes, that is very true and remains a huge fear in many communities, including my own. The way AI generated art works is it uses advanced machine learning algorithms to generate a new artwork that matches the style and content based on a large dataset of original, digitized art. AI-generated art can replicate broad art styles from kawaii art, anime art, portrait art, cartoon art, landscape art, and so on. It can also generate art based on conditions and criteria that hones on a particular style.

I point this process out for this reason: a majority of AI-generated art tools generate images from a general style. It cannot create art that is very specialized and unique. As in, while you create kawaii art, your personality and style of creating kawaii art will be different from another artist creating something similar. Also, as you hone in your craft, your art will become more unique based on your personal experiences, exploration, and inspiration.

While there are upcoming AI image generators that can create a specific look and art style, it won’t replicate YOUR exact style. Also, in this point in time, AI image generators primarily create what’s already out there and not something new and original. Understandably, machine learning can help refine the AI image generator to output “original” artwork, but right now, the human creativity far exceeds this capability. You will always have the capacity to create unique and original art and it only gets stronger as you make more.

So, the need for artists is still prevalent. Local art organizations and brands still want to collaborate with artists. The creation of a local art piece in a collaborative way can also be a powerful experience and help strengthen community relationships. It is also important to consider if the community, consumer, or audience would want AI-generated art. There are those who want to play with AI image generators (like me), but supporting it may be a different story.

Reason 2: Using AI Generated Art Will Not Build Your Legacy as an Artist

Maintaining an art legacy is key and can really build up your credentials and status as a professional and a leader in the creative industry. This is enticing for both local organizations and brands because you not only have the skills and proof of skills, but you are intimately familiar with the process and the details that goes into making your art.

If your primary goal is to make money using AI generated art, then so go ahead. While you can make thousands of dollars on Etsy doing this, this will not build a legacy and maintain credentials of you having a portfolio of original art. If you want to build a brand or business from your art in the long-term, you will need to make your own art. This is not to say you can’t specialize in creating AI art from a plethora of AI image generators and AI tools (as this seems to be a rising new skill companies are interested in). Even so, you still need to have a combination of some foundational art knowledge, creativity, and concept on how to go about it. The attention to detail and artist eye is also important to maintain the look, feel, and accuracy of the AI generated image.

Making original art instead of using AI generated images has many perks, but it is a life-long game. It is important to keep in mind that if you want to pursue an art business, there is more to it than just creating the artwork itself. You can build relationships with local organizations and the community, interact with loyal fans, provide online tutorials or special bonuses, and connect with like-minded artists. This is part of building an artist legacy, which is building trust within your community and audience. AI generated images are still secluded in the online and digital space, such as the internet and streaming platforms.

The cool thing is that as you get older, you can reflect on not only various art you have made, but how your original art has impacted or inspired others. You can look back and watch how your art has imprinted in the world - digitally or physically. You may have had more creative brand collaborations and partnerships that you would not have had if you had stuck with using AI generated images.

Ultimately, you have the opportunity to build a life-long empire based on the art you have beautifully crafted for yourself and others. Creating artwork is just one aspect of the business, you can expand to create online courses, videos, subscriptions, products, and beyond. It takes time to build trust and find a loyal following, but when you have hardcore fans who love your work, no amount of AI can replace what you have built.

Of course, the fear of AI art copying your work, gets credited, or be even more favorited than yours is very valid and warranted. My two cents is that the act of stealing art has always been around, even before the creation of AI image generators. The AI image generators are simply accelerating this process. In this case, I highly recommend copyrighting your work and have some sort of legal protection with your art, especially if you have an art business. While you cannot control the first prize winner of a prestigious art contest or prevent others from using AI image generators, you can control your own artwork and how you build a business from it.

Reason 3: AI Art Still Requires Real Humans to Develop Very Complex, Special Images

There are currently different AI image generators that can generate both simple and advanced artwork. To generate AI art, the user needs to enter a descriptive text of the art to be generated. Sometimes, not all AI art will be completely accurate and would require some human editing and effort to fix the mistakes. Also, creating a specific look and style would require a lot more manipulation and perhaps a combination of different AI tools needed for the effect and style you want.

Here is an example of using Hotpot.ai, an AI image generator site that allows you to create ten AI generated images per day for free. I entered “cute cat art with boba” into the description box and this is the AI art that was generated.

Here is the enlarged AI art.

Now, the first thing is that this AI image generator did not provide me the art that I described at all, but I am intrigued at the AI art it generated. While this is the only test shared here, I recommend keeping in mind that the description you enter may not create the AI art you want. Some AI image generators are better than others, but perhaps the more you experiment, the better they will get.

This is all to say that AI image generators are still programs and tools. They can simplify and accelerate the creation of AI art much faster than doing it yourself, but there could be inaccuracies and major flaws of the AI art. Also, if you want to develop specific, complex images in a specific style using AI, it would be ideal to use a diverse set of AI image generators, editing tools, and collaborative techniques to create the final art images. The bottom line is that AI art still requires human beings and touch for very specific outputs.

Reason 4: Traditional Art Is Invaluable

In a general sense, art remains incredibly important in many communities. From my professional experience in performing public surveys about art and art beautification, many communities support integrating art within a park or an outdoor setting. The desire for art does not change based on income either, as residents from both low-income and wealthy neighborhoods strongly favor art in their neighborhoods.

That being said, public sentiment about AI art and the impact it will have in the art community remains strong. The transition to using AI art is steadily increasing, but there are still hesitancy and fears around it. There are concerns about the loss of jobs of traditional artists and the fear of AI art taking over the art industry.

Art education remains an invaluable subject for childhood development and learning, so I do not expect that will change drastically yet. Also, the act of making art traditionally goes beyond the creation of the artwork itself. Traditional art can be healing, can bring people together, and foster inner creativity and exploration.

Traditional Art Will Not Fade, But Will Compete with Its AI Counterpart

It is important to remind yourself that those who are creating these AI image generators are human beings, usually consisting of developers, investors, and tech companies. With the general public who seem to enjoy trying out and playing with AI image generators because they are such a novelty, more of these AI image generators will be created due to increasing demand for them.

Admittedly, there is an excitement from fellow enthusiasts - even artists and creatives themselves - about how AI art can transform the way we have traditionally created art and how we can integrate AI tools to making art more accessible and in ways we have not imagined before. Even I am fascinated by what AI art can and cannot do and experiment AI image generators sometimes for inspiration and experimentation.

To ease your worries, below are two things you can do:

Experiment with AI Image Generators - I think it is important to play with free AI image generators first to get a feel of their capabilities and limitations. This can help resolve the initial fear of AI art and help you get a better understanding of the process of generating AI art. Sometimes, we fear what we do not know, so if you can start to see how AI image generators work, you have an idea of both their potential and flaws.
Keep making original art - I also encourage you to keep making art and to support other artists who make original, handmade, or traditional art. The art community is a powerful one and can be incredibly supportive of local artists, ranging from experts to amateurs. As long as there are people who continue to support traditional artists, traditional art will not fade into oblivion.

While nobody can really predict where AI art will take us, traditional art and AI art will become as competitive as ever. We already see this in the Etsy marketplace, prestigious contests, and in other sectors. It will be an interesting time to watch how everything unfolds in the coming decades, including how new legislation and copyrights regarding AI art will come into play. But for now, I hope this has provided some insight about the current state we are in and to provide you with my perspective on why traditional art is here to stay.

What do you think about AI art? Let me know what you think in the Comments section, I would love to know!

Happy creating,