An Artist’s Guide to Collaborating with AI
Curious about incorporating emerging technologies into your creative process? You are in the right place and time to learn. Only 5 years ago, exploring artificial intelligence (AI) in our art practice used to require access to university or research centre collaborations, knowing just the right technical experts to create code, or learning to code ourselves - gah! Now, AI enabled tools are incredibly accessible and offer creatives a frontier of new possibilities. AI has become a means to view our artistic practice through a new lens, if that is what we choose to do. This article introduces the concept of collaborating with AI, why the new DALL·E 3 is a step in the right direction in terms of protecting artist rights, and how to start using AI as a tool in your own creative practice.
To set the scene, I’ve been using programs enabled with artificial intelligence (AI) in my art practice since 2018. I am a classically trained painter, and use AI as part of my creative process, rather than using AI generated images as final pieces. Commercially, I still work in oil on canvas, however I am open to finding new ways of working with AI in the future. I also use AI to help me on the business side of my art practice, and I’ll explore that in a separate article. On the academic research side, I’ve been investigating creative AI and human-machine collaboration since 2019. You can read more about it here. I’m explaining this first, because AI, art, and the concept of creative machines can be quite contentious: I lean towards embracing AI, even while some ethical issues have not yet been ironed out.
Sarah Daly x Deep Dream (2019) The Research Landscape
The pros and cons of collaborating with AI
AI can serve as a powerful tool for amplification and extension of an artist's capabilities. It allows for the exploration of new styles and forms, pushing the boundaries of traditional art. AI can generate complex, intricate patterns and designs at a speed and scale unattainable by humans, offering a rich source of inspiration and a way to rapidly prototype ideas. Importantly, AI democratizes art creation, and visualising ideas, making it accessible to individuals with diverse abilities. It serves as a collaborative partner, where we can blend human creativity with the technical proficiency to interpret and build on our ideas.
However, the integration of AI in art is not without its drawbacks. One significant concern is the potential for diminished value in human-made art, as AI-generated art becomes more prevalent. There's a fear that the unique touch, the emotional depth, and the personal signature that artists bring to their work might become undervalued. I see this differently - I believe human-made art that truly can engage people will become more valuable as AI art becomes more of a commodity. Additionally, ethical issues such as the originality of AI-generated art and copyright concerns are pertinent. There's also the risk of over-reliance on AI, which might limit an artist's skill development or lead to a homogenization of styles influenced by AI's processing patterns. All of this makes for a rich and nuanced conversation.
For artists, venturing into AI is a journey of balancing the benefits of new technology with the important values of human creativity and expression. I believe it’s about leveraging AI as a tool to enhance and expand our artistic vision, while being mindful of the potential challenges and ethical considerations in this evolving landscape.
Describe your idea, and let AI generate the image
One of the earliest popular AI generation tools was DeepDream, which created surreal, dream-like images by over-interpreting and enhancing patterns in pictures. Above, I’ve shared one of my own early collaborations with Deep Dream, titled ‘The Research Landscape’. I used my own paintings as data.
Text-to-image generators are now more prevalent, and are a fascinating and rapidly evolving domain in the field of artificial intelligence. These generators are AI systems capable of creating visual images from textual descriptions: you describe the image using text, then AI will generate that image.
OpenAI's DALL·E Series is one example of a text-to-image generator. I became a beta-tester for DALL·E 2, so have seen fast evolution in its capability in generating images from textual descriptions. The results are becoming better and better as it learns. Over the last few years, I’ve seen huge improvements in realism (people with 6 fingers and ‘crazy eyes’ were common in 2021), diversity (it has more data so knows about more types of humans and situations), and the ability to interpret and visualize complex and abstract concepts (quite astounding - really!).
I’m introducing DALL·E 3 in this article, because the user interface is the easiest I’ve tried so far, and the results will show you more possibilities which could impact your creative practice. Other programs you might have heard of include Midjourney and Unreal Engine. These are more advanced, but amazingly fun to try out too.
Introducing DALL·E 3
In the ever-evolving world of art and technology, OpenAI's launch of DALL·E 3 marks a significant milestone. It is an advanced AI model generates images from textual descriptions, offering a new realm of creative possibilities, and is run directly off Chat GPT (an AI enabled writing co-pilot). An important note for artists: unlike its predecessors, DALL·E 3 respects the uniqueness of living artists' styles by declining requests to replicate them. This development not only preserves the integrity of contemporary art but also opens a door for artists to explore AI without fear of undermining their unique styles.
The program has a free version. Here is the link for you: https://openai.com/dall-e-3
How Can Artists Start Using DALL·E 3?
You could think of this interface as like a personal assistant who can visualise your thinking very quickly. I call it my co-pilot. You will soon discover that what you ask for directly impacts the quality of your images.
Here’s how to start:
Step 1: Log on with an email address and start to play. https://openai.com/dall-e-3
You will now be in the ChatGPT text interface, where you can create images.
Step 2: Write your first prompt. Here are some introductory prompts to try:
"Generate a serene mountain landscape during sunrise, with misty valleys and a clear, vibrant sky."
"Create an image of a futuristic city skyline at night, illuminated by neon lights and reflected in a calm river."
"Produce an abstract painting using bold geometric shapes and a primary color palette."
"Illustrate a scene with a mythical creature, like a dragon or phoenix, in its natural habitat."
"Depict an underwater city with colorful coral reefs, diverse marine life, and mermaids."
"Create a science fiction scene showing life on a distant, habitable exoplanet."
"Generate a surreal landscape where the laws of physics are defied, blending dreamlike elements with reality."
"Create a portrait of a historical figure but in a contemporary art style or setting."
Here is a prompt and some edits I tried today:
I am an artist and am inspired by the Australian landscape. I love desert landscapes in particular, including the pink salt lakes of Western Australia. Create a photo-realistic aerial landscape that could inspire my next painting.
What’s next?
Learn About the Tool: Familiarize yourself with DALL·E 3's capabilities and limitations. Understanding its scope will help you integrate it effectively into your creative process.
Experiment Creatively: Start with simple prompts and experiment with more complex ones as you get comfortable. Use DALL·E 3 to generate backgrounds, textures, or conceptual art pieces that can inspire your work.
Integrate with Traditional Techniques: Combine AI-generated art with traditional methods. This fusion can lead to innovative art forms and styles unique to you.
Stay Informed and Engage: Participate in forums and discussions about AI in art, including on our Instagram account @creatr.art.
What Does DALL·E 3 Mean for Artists?
I feel like OpenAI are taking conversations about artist rights, ethics and copyright seriously. Being open at this early stage of technology development is a very good sign indeed.
Ethical Considerations: With DALL·E 3, OpenAI starts to address ethical concerns by not replicating the styles of living artists. This ensures that the AI respects the intellectual property and individuality of artists today.
Creative Collaboration: DALL·E 3 acts as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. Artists can use it to visualize concepts, experiment with new ideas, or even incorporate AI-generated elements into their work.
Protecting artist rights: Importantly, creators now have the option to opt their images out from the training of future image generation models. This control over how their work influences AI development is a crucial step in maintaining artistic sovereignty. It is still not clear how they will handle copyright from past training models.
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