Student opinions vary on integrity of AI art

In recent years, AI image generation has evolved from an online joke, known for poor quality and comical results, into something far more sophisticated. AI can now produce images that are nearly indistinguishable from real-life photos or artwork created by human hands. What once seemed impossible—creating ‘art’ with AI—has become common, with many people online now claiming that AI-generated art rivals or even surpasses the work of real artists. 

Senior Aidan Baldus, a talented artist, said “AI art shouldn’t count as art. It should always be labeled as AI-generated and never compared to real artwork. If you can’t draw, the best thing you can do is learn, not rely on AI.” 

For Baldus, the effort and skill artists put into their work set real art apart from typing a prompt into a system. However, he does see value in AI as a tool. “It can be useful for simple tasks, like creating patterns or large-scale designs, and even for references. AI can spark inspiration, but it’s not art,” Baldus said.

Senior Daniel Slaughter, who doesn’t have much experience in art aside from consuming it, said, “I think AI art can be very useful especially to those who aren’t that good at being creative in other ways. It allows for self expression and thought interpretation. You can have the prompt in your head, but it’s sometimes hard to get that idea onto paper, and using AI can be used to do that.”

He also clarified that he doesn’t think that “AI art can be considered art as it sort of undermines actual artists who put in actual work to make art. The original concept, though, should still be credited to the creator. The prompt is the only thing that could be considered art.”

Senior Aidan Fobian, who has taken drawing and art classes in the past, said he believes that “AI art is only good as a tool for concepts and visualizing, but it is being misused as the end-all be-all solution to creating art, which it just can’t.” 

He went on to say that “an artificial intelligence system isn’t capable of picking up on the small details and styles that real artists have spent years and years developing, it can only take a hundred snapshots and collage them into a mix of stolen ideas.” 

For Fobian, the human aspect of art is paramount, but he doesn’t think AI is totally useless. “Like I said before, I think it’s good as a tool for starting out on visualizing what you want, but it can’t ever be a replacement for actual artists with their own unique quirks and latent talent.”