Are AI-generated images... Art?

Wow. Am I conflicted...

Johnny Profane (Knapp Âû)

Apr 10, 2024

Are AI-generated images... Art?

Wow. Am I conflicted.

A friend wrote me yesterday, "Most people seem to use 'AI Art' in such a low-effort manner that it's actively distracting..."

"In the Back Row..." portrays a shirtless late-20s white male seated in a darkened theater, the dim silhouettes of an audience around him, faces obscured and indistinct. Digital tools included AI. The young man's exposed torso and open posture contrast sharply with the anonymity and concealment of the figures in the shadows, reflecting the vulnerability and exposure often felt by those who live with autism as they navigate social settings. This image encapsulates the themes from the tale of an autistic adult's moment of liberation—a poignant Halloween memory where the theater's darkness becomes a sanctuary, a place where one can unmask and embrace their authentic self amongst those who also diverge from the norm. The surrounding figures, vague and unfocused, emphasize the isolation that can accompany this unmasking, even in a crowd. — "In the Back Row...", digital illustration by author. Digital tools included AI.

I get it. You can spot a Dall-E or Midjourney image... I dunno, around the corner before you even smell it coming into view?

Right?

Otoh, there's the democracy thing...

"Ceci n'est pas une joie autistitique," original digital illustration by the author. Fantasy illustration, dark moody background, bright illuminated halo in the center. A human sits in the center in lotus pose, relfected in a serene pond at dawn or dusk. — "Ceci n'est pas une joie autistitique," digital illustration by the author. Digital tools included AI.

So, folks born without the money…
or support…
to put in the years to learn...
OR the eye-hand coordination to control a brush from #Disability...
can’t display their hearts for the world to see…?

So, "serious" art, like pop music,
is LARGELY for the highly-functional,
able-bodied,
well-educated,
WEALTHY
anymore...?

"The Stake," original illustration by the author, based on my Midjourney prompt. A young lame boy plunges a stake into a heart. He sits with his cane inside a fantasy tree grove surrounded by a decaying wooden fence. In the style of Arthur Rackham's & Fritz Kredel's illustrations for Grimm's Fairy Tales. — "The Stake," original illustration by the author. Digital tools included AI.

Yet with AI assistance,
folks with imagination and heart...
but little technical skill...
can "summon" images.

Because that is what it feels like as a creator.
Our prompts,
like a wizard's incantations...
summon images out of our own depths...

"Like a Meteor Smashing into My Backyard," original manga illustration by the author. 4 panels show a young woman observing a falling meteor and finally exploding her into space. Pinks, neon blues, and purples. — "Like a Meteor Smashing into My Backyard," digital illustration by the author. Digital tools included AI.

Does the medium or tool define what's art? Only oils, charcoal… maybe watercolor… need apply?

Is photography art?

Are movies? CGI movies...?

"One Less Brick in the Wall," original digital illustration by author. Young white grad student's head explodes through a brick wall. — "One Less Brick in the Wall," digital illustration by author. Digital tools included AI.

Like every Hollywood flick doesn't now have teams of computer-generated-image artists in the credits?

Was Chris Nolan's Oppenheimer MORE arty... because he avoided CGI? I bet HE thought so…

"If You Meet a Saint along the Road," original digital tableau by the author. In a surreal cubist collage, a female saint holds up her hand as another hand reaches around her throat. In the background crows, gas masks, syringe, pills, school bell, objects of control. Digital tools include AI. — "If You Meet a Saint along the Road," digital tableau by the author. Digital tools include AI.

After all?

Anybody can own a camera. And cameras can make snapshots. OR art history... like Ansel Adams found in his developing tray.

Everybody's got a pencil. Pencils can doodle... OR sketch Guernica. Like Pablo did. Creating the greatest anti-war message of all time...

"Einstein: Autistic Prophet of Dark Time" original digital by Johnny Profane Âû. An artistic portrait of Albert Einstein emerges from a chaotic background of geometric shapes, mathematical equations, and nostalgic items. The juxtaposition of Einstein's pensive expression with the fragmented, textured layers suggests a brilliant mind constantly at work. The earthy color palette and collage-like composition create a sense of depth and complexity, inviting the viewer to explore the inner workings and influences behind Einstein's groundbreaking ideas. Digital tools included AI. — "Einstein: Autistic Prophet of Dark Time" digital by Johnny Profane Âû. Digital tools included AI.

AI as an art supply?

Okay. Mebbe, my analogy stretches a tad thin.

Cuz THIS pencil? It can talk back to you. Offer its own ideas before it splatters noise on the blank canvas.

Then roots for the image you prompt like a pig frantic for a gourmet truffle in the mud...

Root hog hunting truffles, via Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License.

"Calm Down," digital tableau by Johnny Profane Âû. Closeup of a young boy's face during a meltdown. He wears a birthday hat and is standing on a park merry-go-round. In the background a peaceful scene of people walking dogs in a village park surrounded by trees. In a cubist collage style with dark tones an vibrant colors. Digital tools used include AI. — "Calm Down," digital tableau by Johnny Profane Âû. Digital tools used include AI.

AI image generation IS collaborative. Whether it's a new art form... Or not.

For neurodivergent individuals, AI could open new creative expression. Does for me. Think assistive device.

I have a new communication freedom...

A collage showcasing AutisticAF Out Loud's podcast, videos & art. More illustrations: AutisticAF.me

I use my natural, autistic, imagistic thinking... to show you what I feel.

But... a really BIG but
(ouch! for the unintended pun)...

IS there any value to what I'm doing in a world where anyone can generate art?

The original digital illustration by the author, “Banging Heads,” portrays a cubist rendition of a young person in a moment of intense expression. The face is captured mid-motion, as if in contact with an unseen barrier, emphasizing a sense of impact. The style is abstract, with geometric shapes and contrasting colors fragmenting the image, which may symbolize the inner turmoil and frustration often experienced by those on the autism spectrum when confronted with overwhelming situations. The use of cubism reflects the multifaceted nature of such experiences, conveying both the complexity and the intensity of the moment. — “Banging Heads,” digital illustration by the author. Digital tools included AI.

Me as a human prompter…
Plus billions of other humans…
Ghosts at my writing desk…
Who contributed art…
and knowledge of the human condition…
Bonus minions?
Millions of computer coders…
And a smart machine.

We may work together as a “team”...

But...

"In My Own Time," an imagined pulp fiction book cover, inspired by Bob Pepper's famous cover for "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep," by Philip K. Dick. A grotesque man's head, mixing elements of xray, skeleton, watches, watch parts. He stares with one living and one dead eye at the reader. Title reads: "Johnny Profane Âû -- Time Stream Meltdown." Teaser text reads: "After a nuclear meltdown, the Time Stream flows up, down, sideways… Backwards. Johnny Profane must lead a desperate uprising against the chaos destroying his world…" A mixture of Midjourney prompts, sketching, photos and more. Digital tools included AI. — "In My Own Time," imagined pulp fiction book cover by author. Digital tools included AI.

Does my prompting = "artistic intention"? Is it conscious art?
Or random statistical noise…
like Hamlet typed out word-by-word…
by monkeys at keyboards..
by pure chance…
once every billion years?

Just sped up a metric shit-ton by 10,000 nVidia GPUs? Killing the planet as collateral damage sucking terawatts of electric power?

Some say human vision & guidance summons art out of the AI.

AND a whole lot of working artists laff at that. After spending decades perfecting their art and craft.

🚨Maybe? Without human hands? This AI shit is all just automated memes? Like cheap Hallmark cards or posters in the aisles of Walmart?

"Every Clock a Handgun Pointed at My Head," a digital image by the author of overlapping elements related to time, violence, inner turmoil. The central figure, a suited man with a face made of gears, springs and clock parts, conveying a sense of being consumed by time. Surrounding is a chaotic array of clock faces, gears, bullets, gun parts, and mechanical debris, blending together in sepia tones & metallic textures. Revolvers, clock hands and springs emerge from the shadows distinctly. Other figures fade into background. The piece employs intricate digital rendering and layering techniques to create a detailed, machines-meets-Dali aesthetic. The limited color palette & seamless merging of elements lend a surreal, dreamlike quality, inviting the viewer to unpack the symbolic associations. Overall, a thought-provoking, slightly unsettling reflection on time, mortality, and existential dread. — "Every Clock a Handgun Pointed at My Head," digital image by the author. Digital tools include AI.

But...
one last but...

Isn't it a little like what art masters did? Geniuses like da Vinci, Warhol, Hirst...?

They had studio apprentices to do all the boring stuff? Backgrounds, minor figures...

The abstract digital image by author, titled "Therapist's Delight," depicts a stylized human figure with geometric patterns and contrasting colors. The subject's face is divided into light and dark halves, with the light side featuring blue and gray checkered patterns and the shadowed side in solid black with a striking red eye. The figure's hand is pressed against their chest, fingers splayed, revealing a bright yellow angular shape underneath, possibly representing the heart or inner self. The bold, fragmented forms and dramatic color contrasts create a sense of inner turmoil, duality, or conflicting emotions. Visually, the piece combines cubist and art deco aesthetics, using strong lines, angles, and a limited palette to create a impactful, somewhat mysterious composition. The segmented background in muted red and gray tones adds depth and enhances the overall mood. — “Therapist’s Delight,” digital image by author. Digital tools include AI. Note the number of fingers.

Is AI generative art like a studio of flunkies for folks like me?

Who can't afford the luxury of hiring minions for the heavy lifting?
Or recover the decades of my life lost to disability
and trying to be autistic in this world…
so I can tackle art school?

Isn’t like democratizing art studios? A little?

Maybe this is all self-serving nonsense to justify my lack of craft...

"In the Back Row..." portrays a shirtless late-20s white male seated in a darkened theater, the dim silhouettes of an audience around him, faces obscured and indistinct. Digital tools included AI. The young man's exposed torso and open posture contrast sharply with the anonymity and concealment of the figures in the shadows, reflecting the vulnerability and exposure often felt by those who live with autism as they navigate social settings. This image encapsulates the themes from the tale of an autistic adult's moment of liberation—a poignant Halloween memory where the theater's darkness becomes a sanctuary, a place where one can unmask and embrace their authentic self amongst those who also diverge from the norm. The surrounding figures, vague and unfocused, emphasize the isolation that can accompany this unmasking, even in a crowd. — "In the Back Row..." digital illustration by the author. I thought we’d end our journey where we began. With me conflicted about what’s happening in the back row…

Did I mention I’m in my 70s? Undiagnosed until my mid-60s?

All I know is that images now exist that I only dreamt of. Decade after long nightmarish decade.

Images that can finally communicate my internal autistic experience to others. For the first time in a long, voiceless life.

I'll take it. All day. And twice on freakin Sunday.

All images in 4K available for subscribers: AutisticAF.me

#AutismAwareness #AuDHD #Autism #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #ADHD #AutisticArtist #ActuallyAutistic #AutismAppreciation #NeurodivergentArtist

Johnny Profane Âû

@johnnyprofane1

Blogger🎤Podcaster📹YouTuber👉Invoker of Dopamine 👦He/Him #ActuallyAutistic 🎤 AutisticAF tinyurl.com/SpotifyAFOL ✍️ johnnyprofane1.medium.com

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Discussion about this post

What makes your work "art" to me is the purposeful composition from your own mind. Sure, nVidia GPU's did the heavy lifting of placing pixels in visually pleasing ways - something many of us are particularly bad at. But crafting prompts is indeed a skill, especially when we are crafting the prompts in service of approximating our own internal worlds rather than boring, stock usage. I don't think you could make use of those "guides" on the "best prompts for Midjourney or DALLE" and wind up with the same results as you achieve on your own. Your minds eye is just far too unique, and to me, captivating!

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