Is AI better At Art Than Us?

I know time progresses, but knowing it is happening and actually seeing it in real time happening are two different things. I don't like it. All the time. I guess. In the sense of it moving too fast. Though, there are many pleasurable moments to distract from our limited moments here. 

 

Something that's progressing rather quickly is Artificial Intelligence.

 

Can AI take over a human writer? No. I don't think so. Can they be good, or better, in some ways? Yes. Heck yes. I think the argument is akin to paper books and the Kindle (or any e-book reader, to certain degrees).

 

The e-book reader has fancy functions like holding more data (books). It can organize those books in easy-access folders and shelves. It can make reading more fun in some respects. And the biggest thing for me is the built-in dictionary. This is a big feature. Saves you from having to pick up a big clunky dictionary and search for a word which can be done in seconds on the device. Is it superior? In some ways. Is it better?

 

Now that is the question.

 

Both are similar--AI and the move to electronic books. I don't think AI will take over the creativity of humans, though. The errors are what sets things apart. Sometimes a mistake can turn out to be an important part of an art piece. Whatever that art piece may be; writing; painting; sketching; music; videos. And on. It adds character. Sure, AI can learn to replicate those errors, and at a certain point in the future may be able to do it well. But I think it will be discernible with a trained eye. And those without that eye will feel something is off with the content. Of course, this AI art can be a separate art form in itself. But it won't take over.

 

These are my current opinions, of course. And they may change over time. People may change over time, as well. In fact, they will. Society. They may get used to the AI art to the point where human art feels weird. Ancient. Older folks see the youth and their music of today and think back to their music of yesteryear. Which at that time was alien to their parents. New things usually seem strange. Then you get used to it. 

But like paper books and e-books, there's just something a book does when you pick it up and open it and see all those words on the pages that is fundamentally different. The smell, the look, the feel. It's all there. History. A sense of us. Time. And I don't think AI can take that away. 

 

WCM