Where is the art in artificial intelligence?

The rapid technological progress in the so-called fourth industrial revolution poses major challenges for artists and the legal world. With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, there is a growing need to create a legal framework that can keep pace with the development and use of these new technologies. There are also new legal concerns about data protection, copyright and patent rights, and who is responsible if things go wrong with automated systems. Artists are particularly affected by this change and the issues it raises. Lëtzebuerger Journal met artist Chris Duhazé to talk about this issue.

Chris is an illustration artist who creates images, both on paper and for the digital world, and sells them on the online platform Artstation. Last year there was a protest on said platform. Some people started uploading digital images, also called digital artworks, which were generated by an AI. Some of them were so good that other artists felt cheated. In protest, they all took their works off the platform. The image-generating AI has evolved quite a bit since then. Chris is actually planning to open a graphics studio next June – which is why the protest was followed by existential concerns.