Does A.I. Art Undermine the Value of Art?
With the ubiquitous nature of beautiful things made by machines, AI Gen Art is rapidly changing the way we understand and value beauty.
The idea that anyone has access to create stunning artwork has many artists, and regular folk alike, wondering what this means for the things we’ve called beautiful until now.
Perhaps a little parable can help us understand it.
As lore has it, Mullah Nasreddin, a satirical Sufi figure believed to have lived around the 13th century, was asked by a disciple, “Is it proper to smoke while praying?” To which Mullah Nasreddin replied, “No, it is not. Prayer requires your full attention.”
Later, another disciple asked a slightly different question: “Is it proper to pray while smoking?” This time, Mullah Nasreddin answered, “Yes, it is. You can always pray, no matter what else you are doing.”
The apparent contradiction was one of context.
A.I. Art is changing the context of how we view and value beauty.
Beauty, now more ubiquitous than ever, means everyone can access it.
Say the words and something beautiful appears like magic.
How do we make sense of it?
