Artists Furious as AI Wins Art Contest

In August, Allen, a game designer living in Pueblo West, Colorado, Won Winner of the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition, Emerging Artists Category, Digital Art/Digitally Manipulated Photography. His winning image, titled “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” (French for “space opera theater”), in the middle — Artificial Intelligence System Detailed images can be generated by entering written promptsA $300 prize was awarded for his victory.

Allen’s winning image looks like a bright, surreal cross between Renaissance and steampunk painting. in total11 people entered 18 works in the same category of the emerging writer category.

of Category definition Digital art, says Allen, refers to works that “use digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process.” She said Allen used her mid-journey to create her image when she entered her contest.

The newness of these tools, how they are used to create images, and in some cases the gatekeeping to access the most powerful tools, how the tools can really create art, how humans create art There is debate about whether we can help

“For the exact same reasons robots aren’t allowed in the Olympics, this sucks,” wrote one Twitter user.

“This is the literal definition of ‘pressing a few buttons to create a digital work of art,'” another tweeted. “AI artwork is now a ‘banana on the wall’ in the digital world.”

But while Allen didn’t use a paintbrush to create a winning piece, he said it took a lot of work.

“It’s not just about bashing words and winning the race,” he said.

First, he fiddled with the phrasing so that Midjourney would generate an image of a woman in a frilly dress and a space helmet. He said he was trying to mash up a space-themed Victorian-style outfit. Over time, he made 900 iterations of what would eventually lead to his three images, making many tweaks to the written prompts (such as adjusting lighting and color harmonies). did. He cleaned up these three images of his in his Photoshop. For example, I gave her one of the female figures in the winning image a head of wavy black hair. I lost my head during the trip. The image was then run through another software program called Gigapixel AI, which can increase the resolution, and the image was printed on canvas at a local print shop.

Allen is pleased that the debate about whether AI can be used to create art is gaining traction.

“Instead of hating technology and the people behind it, we need to recognize that it is a powerful tool and use it for good. We can move forward instead of,” Allen said.

One of the competition’s judges, artist and art teacher Cal Duran, said that although Allen’s work contained references to Midjourney, it was generated by AI when judging it. said he had not noticed. Still, he is adamant in his decision to award first place in that category, calling it a “beautiful piece of work”.

“I think there’s a lot going into this work. I think AI technology has the potential to give more opportunities to people who can’t find artists through traditional means,” he said. Told.

Allen has yet to say what the text prompt behind the winning image was. He plans to keep it a secret until he unveils a larger related piece, which he hopes to complete later this year.