Week 3: Robotics & Art

This module brings to mind the rapid rise of AI-generated art and how that challenges the very heart of artistic identity. In the age of mechanization and robotics, can a robot truly create art? Or are we simply seeing the latest wave in the ongoing disruption of the aura of authenticity?

AI and Human Art

Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction warned us that mass production would erode art’s “aura” , its uniqueness rooted in time, place, and ritual. As he argued, “what withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art”​. I’d say that in today’s digital world, this idea is more urgent than ever. Douglas Davis expands Benjamin’s concern in The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction, claiming “there is no longer a clear conceptual distinction between original and reproduction”​

Whether it's a Rembrandt painted by a human hand or a surrealist piece conjured by AI, both seemingly circulate with equal weight online. It reminds me of a video I saw a while back where participants were asked to guess whether images are human or machine-made. A large portion often couldn't tell. This reflects our shifting perception: when everything is reproducible, intent may outweigh origin. I’d say at this current point I’m still able to devise whether something is authentic or AI but it seems that reality passes with each coming day. Can you tell the difference below? (answers are at the bottom)

Comparison AI vs Human Art

Comparison AI vs Human Abstract

This dilemma also remind me of the same ideas in the movie Her (2013), where the AI Samantha composes music and writes letters evoking deep emotion without a physical presence. Like AI art, her creations beg the question: is emotion the foundation to constitute authorship? And are we able to create machines that can create authenticity?

Still from Her

It seems that in today’s society we respond to industrialization and automation with both anxiety and awe. We’re fascinated by what machines can do, yet unsettled by what they replace. Perhaps, as Davis suggests, the aura hasn’t vanished it has migrated, now residing in how we respond, remix, and reframe the art around us. In my personal belief, I don't uphold AI art as being original or remotely capturing what makes art, art. It lacks that intent, that emotional and deeply personal touch that is unique to the human experience. Perhaps it can be used as tool in conjunction with artistic expression but as we seemingly begin to rely heavily on AI for our creation in multiple fields, I'm uncertain where the future takes us for better or worse.  

(The right side of both images were AI generated) 

References:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1936. Translated by Harry Zohn, Schocken Books, 2008. https://monoskop.org/images/4/4c/Benjamin_Walter_1936_2008_The_Work_of_Art_in_the_Age_of_Its_Technological_Reproducibility_and_Other_Writings_on_Media.pdf

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991–1995)." Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, pp. 381–386. JSTOR, http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0024-094X%281995%2928%3A5%3C381%3ATWOAIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M

Her. Directed by Spike Jonze, performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, Annapurna Pictures, 2013.

Kelley, Ben. "AI Art vs Human Art: Can You Tell the Difference?" Gold Penguin, 21 Apr. 2023, https://goldpenguin.org/blog/ai-vs-human-art/.

VICE News. Pindar Van Arman Is Teaching Robot Artists To Paint Like Humans. YouTube, 10 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkTjEi7O4Ic.

Image Sources:

https://deepdreamgenerator.com/blog/ai-art-originality

"AI Art vs Human Art: Can You Tell the Difference?" Gold Penguin

Still from Her (2013)