A Perspective On No To AI Generated Images
by Lance Mendoza
Before getting started I would like to express my honest opinion that I am a neutral party in the debate of whether or not Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated images should be allowed in sites like ArtStation, Deviant Art or other websites, where artists post there hard work to be displayed for hiring managers and everyone else to see. This article was meant to portray the different opinions of others as we humans have our own individual opinions and no human, even if our experience may be the same, is coherently similar to one another.
If you are a artist or an enthusiast of art you may have seen the hugely popular social media movement against AI generated art by hardworking artists and their supporters. At the time of writing, there is a spam of social media post’s and opinionated artistic pieces expressing their individual opinions on why AI generated images shouldn’t be allowed on professional social media platforms like ArtStation, Deviant Art, etc. At the same time of writing this piece, arguably many people and artists who are for “AI Generated Images” are being ostracized or ignored by the community as they express their opinions against the notion of “No to AI generated Images”.
Below are some opinions and responses to the movement “No to AI Generated Images” :
Anonymous 1: You will want to murder me. But I’m not 100% against artificial intelligence. I never worked as a professional artist but I always loved to draw. I have an Ai on my PC that used my own drawings for training. But technology will NEVER go backwards. Even if it costs our jobs. Through them we get inspiration and save time and resources to work.
In response to Anonymous 1: “Altering” Ai works to give it a human touch is still theft (outside of you only implementing your works which most cannot do) While your intentions may be pure, it cannot prevent others from misusing everything else.
Anonymous 2: AI is a useful tool, one I feel may end up becoming part of artists workflows, but it’s scraping method and the way raw AI images are allowed to be posted all over this site without flagging them as such is cause for concern. ArtStation has to do something. Don’t remain silent, don’t be one of “those” companies
In response to Anonymous 2: The Japanese art site Pixiv made a separate rating (trending) for ai works. Now these works do not appear in the main ranking of works for the day, and artists do not fight with “promt engineers”. Also, when publishing, there is a mandatory column for filling in regarding ai works. I think this is the right approach. ArtStation need to make a separate category for ai works and exclude them from trending, make their own rating for them.
Anonymous 3: Yes to ai generated images. Its just a tool and cannot replace you. I do understand the counterpoints however ultimately they fall through when they contain no consistent voice. It is extremely unrealistic to believe Ai art is going anywhere but up and the idea of instilling rules and regulations is maybe more attainable however there is no consistent voice on what they should be.
Anonymous 4: The real danger of AI-generated imagery lies in the fact that it can reproduce any idea or art style in matter of seconds. Consider this: if you spend a significant amount of time and money on a project that is full of unique ideas and decide to share it with your followers in the hopes of attracting new clients, you are putting yourself in danger of losing ownership of your idea and potential business.
Further arguments and opinions can be seen here from LinkedIn users and here for ArtStation.
The primary request for those supporting the social movement is that in ArtStation there are volley of AI generated images and these generated images should be banned or gotten rid of. The underlying factor on why AI generated art should be banned can be disputed, but the demand is simple:
Get rid of AI generated Art in ArtStation.
The notion to get rid of AI art also produces an issue for “artists” who properly label and advertise their art as AI images. Should these people who have been long established as AI artist be banned and removed from the site as well?
ArtStation (ArtStation Guidelines) and sites similar, do not have guidelines against or for AI art.
Updated: ArtStation (Updated Guidelines) will not ban AI art nor its generation.
Normally it’s hard to differentiate AI generated Images to ones created by artist’s unless the person looking at the art has a sharp eye or perhaps has even been trained to what has been generated by AI versus a talented artist.
For those interested in differentiating art versus AI generated art, some of the high level telltale signs include but are not limited to uneven body proportions, extra limbs, to much artistic content, unnaturally weird visuals and even pixelated properties.
As a 3D artist who has divulged into the realm of AI art, I have found AI generated images to be useful to produce 2D illustrations quick and efficiently using NovelAI. Though counter suite to the ability to quickly produce images in AI, some have found AI generated art to be a nightmare seen by a opinionated piece in Kotaku, as it effectively replaces the artist with a generated AI machine, violates copyright claims and at the same time destroys the market for artist’s everywhere.
As an artist who has worked hard in the realm of the arts, I can relate over concerns about AI generated art which can be created on a whim whereas artists take hundreds and thousands of hours refining their craft. Counter to that stance programmers creating the AI have also spent tons of time in making something usable for normal people outside the realms of art.
Whether or not you are for or against AI generated images, one thing is for certain, AI generated images and illustrations will continue to become more prominent as technology has made art more efficient as well as low cost to produce. As AI generated images are not perfect, artist’s will still be needed to make edits and amendments to the growing AI industry.
What do you think of AI generated images? Do you think ArtStation and similar sites should banned AI images? Let us know below!
Let ArtStation know on their twitter link here.
Lance Mendoza is a writer in artificial intelligence, game design and creative technology. He is also a computer graphic creative interested in the realm of animation, the study of video games and an advocate for fully immersive virtual reality. His work focuses on different systems and theory’s of video game creation with an emphasis in turning games into educational entertainment as will as gamifying interfaces outside of the game sphere. Some of the experimentations that he has partook on in the past include user behavior simulations and human subject research for the purpose of creating user experience centric accessible design.
