Generative AI and Algorithmic Art: Disrupting the Framing of Meaning and Rethinking the Subject-Object Dilemma
James Hutson, Morgan Harper Nichols
Abstract
In the revision of treatments of contemporary art in the 21st century, art historians are recognizing 2022 as the dawn of the age of creative artificial intelligence (AI). The emergence of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion in late 2022 immediately disrupted the established practices of the art world, leading to debates about the validity of "AI Art" and the emergence of a new market for NFTs. However, fears regarding the "death of the artist" are unwarranted when considering the historical adoption of new technologies by artists, such as photography. The role of the artist will undoubtedly transform, and the definition of "art" will be redefined once again. To better understand how AI generative art will impact traditional art-making practices, this study will present an AI generative art development pipeline and provide recommendations for future technical and theoretical considerations of the subject-object dilemma in art through a post structuralist reading of reception theory.