Can AI be an Artist?

Currently, AI is taking the stage in a wider variety of fields than we thought. Famous Opera singer Jo Su-mi sang along with the AI pianist's melody, and conducting robot ‘Ever6’ took the stage as conductor of the National Orchestra of Korea. At the Collarodo State Fair in the United States in 2022, "Theatre D'opera Spatial," an AI-generated painting, won the first place, and 29 works by AI artist "Deep Dream" were already sold for a total of $97,000 at an art auction in San Francisco. Recently, robot algorithms are increasingly creating art in the field of culture and art, which had been believed to be unique to humans.

However, can AI develop and expand new art fields and become real artists? And can we recognize this AI as an artist? Recently, there has been a heated discussion on whether AI art works should be recognized as copyrighted works. This begins with the raising of the question of 'the picture created by AI is the result of plagiarism created by mixing existing works of art.' The works of existing artists, who were actively engaged in art activities online and offline, are just learning tools acquired by AI with big data. On the other hand, some argue that if the AI came up with original keywords and sentences, extracted images, and edited them to show new results, it should be viewed as creative work. In fact, in the United States, cartoons drawn with AI have been approved for copyright registration. There is still no clear interpretation or law on who the copyright belongs to when artificial intelligence creates its own creations. Experts emphasize that if AI develops into a step where it programs itself and has the same self-consciousness as humans, humans and machines may enter into a struggle for survival, and we should devise safety devices for coexistence.

The emergence of artificial intelligence in the field of art has already become a reality, and in this era, it is compelling to think about 'what will be the role of humans?' Perhaps humans will play a role as 'selectors through appreciation of art' from now on. Artificial intelligence is just a 'tool' that helps repetitive work, and the role of giving value and meaning to works of art and 'choosing' will remain only a human area in the future. The art of the world we live in now, is the things that were chosen by people who lived past and it takes the shape of the present as they come together. As such, the world in which humans will live in the future will also be composed of the collection of the present choices. What choices will humans make in the future, and what kind of art world by choices will create?