Recently, there have been many questions relating to the idea of AI art. Is AI art stealing and unoriginal, or is it more unique and a different perspective on art with its own identity? One argument I have heard about AI art is that it lacks human emotion. Historically, art has focused on a person’s ability to show emotion through pictures, wordplay, and the element of “show, not tell.” AI art is missing this perspective, as it is much more of an amalgamation of things deemed inherently interesting, but with little to no meaning behind them. I personally disagree with this opinion. Sure, AI art does not include the same emotion as human art, but I do not think that takes away from its ability to be called art. In my opinion, art is a gradient of different mediums and possibilities. Just because some art might be more lacking in emotion does not mean it is not art, but rather that the art is boring or uninteresting. I think there is a key difference between “not art” and “boring art” that is important for classification purposes.

The best argument for AI art not being considered art is that it uses other art mediums from online creators to create its own pieces, which combine the work of many different artists. I understand this argument, but I think it has the same conclusion as the previous example. AI art is influenced by the other works used to teach it, but humans are the same way, as they learn by creating forms of art that have already been made. Humans, whether or not they admit it, are subconsciously biased and influenced by other works and will naturally use elements from those works in their own art. Humans also add their own flair when creating art, and I think AI does something similar.

The biggest problem I find with AI art is that many of these pieces, which could have been commissioned by an artist but are instead created quickly through AI, contribute to the overuse of large data centers. As an environmental scientist, examining the impacts of this artwork and its effects on local environments, such as freshwater systems, is very important. These pieces of artwork, often believed to be free, actually have a much greater environmental toll than most people realize. As much as there is a moral dilemma, I think there should be more consideration toward the water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that represent the true cost of AI art.