Why AI Will Not Replace Artist (At least not fully)

Chatgpt is coming for all our jobs and maybe artist most of all. Is this the death of the artist?

Scary rise of AI

The rise of AI has exploded over the past year, Chat GPT, Midjourney, and various other applications are thrown into your face on a daily basis. People are screaming that the sky is falling and that it will replace all of our jobs, the creative ones in particular. Take me sitting here alone in my apartment writing this article, could it be done better by an AI? Most likely. Will AI replace some art? Yes. All art? No. 

The Artist as Art,

Across all disciplines the art does not end with the consumption of it, that is merely the tip of the iceberg. David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, and Ernest Hemingway all embody the Artist as Art. They all produce masterpieces in their fields but what makes them live on is the stories behind their art, what they were like as a person. What made them feel a certain way to produce Starry Night, A Farewell to Arms, Campbell's Soup Cans, and Ziggy Stardust. We appreciate the art that they produce because we feel like we know them through their work. They are not a stranger to us but instead a close friend telling us how they feel. 

Van Gogh after losing his mind and cutting off his ear to give as a romantic love gesture to a prostitute checked himself into an asylum. During this time he created some of the most beautiful and world famous paintings in history including Starry Night, Irises, and self portraits. When you look at the painting you can imagine him sitting there in his room looking up at the stars. A Farewell to Arms was based on Hemingway's real life experience serving in WW1. Turning his own personal experiences into art. Crafting a story based on how he felt during that time. People love to bolster the idea of him being a drunken and womanizing then finally meeting his end by swallowing a shotgun. His reputation adds to the experience when you read his books. Bowie was the voice of a generation bringing metrosexuality to the mainstream. People didn’t just think his music was good. They were obsessed with him. Worshiping him like a God. He changed the way people thought and felt about society. He did this using his art as a means of communication with the world. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold for 195 Million in 2022 the highest price of any American artist in History, Warhol's legacy continues to explode posthumously like all great artists. He helped shape the modern art world as we see today. Andy Warhol shaped the modern art world as we know it because he as an artist transcended his own art.  

Art is an expression of how one feels and that is what makes individuals great. Although pieces are appreciated for their technical expertise it is mostly the story which makes us fall in love with art. Who is behind the brush strokes and why did they want to share this with me.  

Changing tools,

With every new advancement in technologies new tools are being given to artists and AI is just another one. Some artists will choose to leverage it, others will not. Beeple is one of the most famous artists in recent years and he makes digital art, a far cry from how Van Gogh would have done it all those years ago. But do the tools we choose to use determine if something is great or not? When the camera came out paints were repulsed saying it wasn’t real art just a grotesque use of technology, I see the same thing with AI. It cannot be avoided so the artist must embrace it. AI will change the art industry, just like it will change all industries, but the Artist is not going anywhere.