At first glance, the series of warped clown faces in a collision of primary colors appears to be the work of a painter — with oily brushstrokes and smudged backgrounds the typical hallmarks. READ:
Yet the images displayed by Scotland-based artist Perry Jonsson on his tablet were in fact created through artificial intelligence — reflecting a growing trend in the art world.
A filmmaker by trade, Mr. Jonsson began dabbling in AI-generated artworks this year, and is one of a growing number of people in the creative sector experimenting with software that has sparked debate about the future of art and role of man versus machine. Some AI art generation tools trawl images and mimic styles by using rights-protected works to create a new piece of art, raising fears among artists of digital theft.
From mechanical waiters and humanoid healthcare robots to digitally resurrecting dead celebrities, the growing use of AI has thrown up complex issues of ethics, copyrights and privacy.Stephen Thaler, the founder and CEO of Missouri-based technology company Imagination Engines, Inc., had a copyright claim for a computer-generated artwork rejected by the US Copyright Review Board in February.
However, if someone uses a very specific prompt, generates many images, selects from those images, and carries out further edits, then it could justify authorship, Mr. Hugenholtz added.Mr. Hugenholtz said he also saw potential for legal clashes when it comes to infringement of art styles and derivative works.Popular image-generating programs such as San Francisco-based OpenAI’s DALL-E have faced recent criticism on this front.