Art is a creative expression that has kindled the imagination of mankind for thousands of years. Whether it be paintings, music, sculpting, dance or photography, art has evolved and adapted, as well as, reflected the times in which it was created. However, in today’s modern age, artificial intelligence or AI has started to play an important role in all aspects and fields of life. Artificial intelligence in culture is a reality, though its impact and influence are debatable.
Artificial Intelligence in Culture
With artificial intelligence in art, artistic creations can be created and improved by a click of a button. Anyone can create a piece of art using AI tools and software, irrespective of their artistic inclinations, skill or education. Hence, there are different schools of thoughts that view the intervention of AI into the field of culture and arts differently. Critics believe that AI will in fact, negatively impact the arts. They argue that it will become easier to create a piece of art, increasing the risk of the art being devoid of human soul and emotion. On the other hand, some believe that AI can completely replace human artists. However, a large section of society also believes that AI is but a tool that the artists can use to enhance their art.
No matter what the argument, there is no doubt that AI is impacting the culture and arts. To study artificial intelligence and the influence that it has on various fields, is essential because we need to understand where we stand at the present, and how we as a society can use AI to positively sustain and improve our cultural future. Even google has voiced about the positive impact of AI on Art and culture on its portal Google Arts & Culture Lab.
Ways in which AI impacts arts and culture
The foremost discussion to hence have, is to figure out how AI is impacting the arts. Only then can one understand the positives and the challenges that technology and AI pose for the cultural heritage and artistic expression of this generation.
So, what are the ways in which AI is impacting the arts? Let’s find out.
1. Art Is Now for Everyone
One requires inherent talent, as well as, training to master any art form. Be it painting or composing it is believed that it takes years of dedication and hard work to excel. However, with AI the idea that only experts can create worthy pieces of art has been slightly shaken. Now, anyone who has access to particular tools and software can in fact, create art seamlessly. And in much less time when compared to creating it manually. For instance, starryai is a program that allows users to input what they want to draw in text. Using AI the program then generates an image.
2. Art Lives Longer
We see manuscripts and paintings from years ago preserved with tremendous care, especially in museums all over the world. Yes, many artistic creations risk to perish in course of time. However, using artificial intelligence in culture and arts can help preserve the art for posterity. Once the artistic creation, be it an image, video, musical composition or photograph is stored digitally it survives till the end of the time.
3. Culture & Art Can Improve
Artificial intelligence in culture and arts is also evolving. Just like an artist needs to continuously improve and improvise upon his/her works, AI too needs to be updated to constantly upgrade the quality of the end product. GAN or Generative Adversarial Network is a technology used today that takes image data over a period of time to create an improved version or an image/design that has never been created. Thus, AI too trains itself using tools such as GAN to help create unique images by learning and training from images that are already in existence.
4. Improves Viewing Experience
Artificial intelligence in culture and arts is not only impacting the artists, but also the viewers. AI can help better the realism in an image or enhance its clarity making it a better viewing experience. Also, interactive installation arts are an exciting way to view and discover different arts and media, such as sculptures, paintings, drawings etc. Many museums across the world are also adopting interactive art installations and digital art spaces to engage audiences.
5. AI Prejudice
Though there are significant advantages of using artificial intelligence in culture and arts, there are a few drawbacks too. Many experts fear that the AI bias or prejudice may be an unintended influence on the culture and heritage of art. Since AI algorithms are built using existing data, the end result heavily depends on the type of data that has been coded in. This increases the chances of developing racist or derogatory art, as well as, ignoring a section of art.
To study artificial intelligence has thus become vital for artists and creators of our time. However, artificial intelligence in culture and arts, should be cautiously used as tools to enhance the ideas and creative thinking of the artist. The delicate line where AI overpowers the entire purpose and soul of creative thinking is what society and artists in particular, need to be aware of. Artists, whether painters, photographers, sculptors, musicians, performers etc. must have a valid justification in using AI in their creative fields. And only then, can humans and AI collaborate together to create magic.
