[Paper Review] Is AI Art Another Industrial Revolution in the Making?

Alexis Newton, Kaustubh Dhole|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 12, 2023

Aesthetic Perception and Analysis16 citations

TL;DR

The paper analyzes AI-generated art through a post-industrial lens, arguing that AI art echoes the social and economic disruptions of the Industrial Revolution, with implications for artists, authorship, and policy.

ABSTRACT

A major shift from skilled to unskilled workers was one of the many changes caused by the Industrial Revolution, when the switch to machines contributed to decline in the social and economic status of artisans, whose skills were dismembered into discrete actions by factory-line workers. We consider what may be an analogous computing technology: the recent introduction of AI-generated art software. AI art generators such as Dall-E and Midjourney can create fully rendered images based solely on a user's prompt, just at the click of a button. Some artists fear if the cheaper price and conveyor-belt speed that comes with AI-produced images is seen as an improvement to the current system, it may permanently change the way society values/views art and artists. In this article, we consider the implications that AI art generation introduces through a post-industrial revolution historical lens. We then reflect on the analogous issues that appear to arise as a result of the AI art revolution, and we conclude that the problems raised mirror those of industrialization, giving a vital glimpse into what may lie ahead.

Motivation & Objective

• Examine how AI-generated art resembles post-industrial shifts in labor and value for artisans.
• Assess social, economic, and political implications of AI art similar to historical industrial changes.
• Discuss ownership, attribution, and copyright challenges posed by AI-generated works.
• Consider stakeholder roles (policymakers, ethicists, computer scientists, artists) in managing AI art's impact.

Proposed method

• Historical comparison between industrialization effects on artisans and potential AI art disruptions.
• Synthesis of literature on art, technology, and labor to draw parallels with AI-generated art.
• Discussion of ethical, legal, and policy considerations in AI art adoption.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 In what ways does AI-generated art resemble the labor and value shifts seen during the Industrial Revolution?
• RQ2 What are the potential positive and negative implications of AI art for artists, markets, and society?
• RQ3 How should authorship, attribution, and copyright be addressed in AI-generated artworks?
• RQ4 What policies or governance mechanisms could mitigate risks while preserving the benefits of AI art?

Key findings

• AI art is framed as potentially causing a shift from skilled to unskilled labor similar to historical mechanization.
• AI-generated art raises questions about art, authorship, and the attribution of creativity, challenging traditional notions of who is an artist.
• Democratization and lower-cost production of art could both benefit businesses and threaten traditional artists by enabling rapid, widespread content creation.
• Issues of plagiarism, attribution, and biases in AI-generated art are highlighted as evolving legal and ethical concerns.
• The paper emphasizes the need for proactive regulation and governance to mitigate potential harms while embracing technological benefits.