A friend in Portland told me AI art is just 'fancy copy-paste' and it really got me thinking.

We were looking at a piece made by Midjourney, and he said it had no real thought behind it. That stuck with me because I've seen artists use these tools to make completely new ideas, not just copy old ones. Has anyone else had to explain the creative side of generative AI to someone?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim9631mo ago

Tell your friend I've made enough bad art by hand to know real effort when I see it, and some of my AI prompts have taken more tries than my first oil painting! It's not just copy-paste because you're building the idea in your head and then wrestling with the machine to get it out. The tool is new, but the creative part is still a person deciding what to ask for, changing it, and choosing the final piece. It's less like tracing and more like having a super fast, kinda clumsy art partner who needs very clear instructions.

drewsullivan1mo ago

So you're saying AI is just a toddler with a paintbrush?

the_thomas1mo agoMost Upvoted

Totally get that! I spent like an hour last night tweaking one prompt over and over. It's a weird new skill, trying to describe a picture in your head to something that doesn't see.