Since users began generating elaborate images with just a written phrase or highly stylized portraits by uploading a selfie, AI-generated art has flooded the internet. Many artists have reacted angrily to the tools, claiming that the AI systems produce derivative images after ingesting millions of original artworks without permission from their creators.
However, while the increasing sophistication of AI generators raises profound questions about the nature of art and the creative process, it also creates very real dilemmas for art educators who want their students to develop skills that go beyond typing a phrase into a text prompt and submitting it as their own work.
The methods used by professors to introduce AI art in the classroom differ depending on the class and discipline. Song stated that she is currently teaching a drawing class in which students are expected to draw inspiration from nature and the physical world, thus her AI art policy. None of the instructors or students interviewed by Motherboard at the institutions said their department or school had issued AI art guidelines or a policy for using AI art generators for projects. Individual instructors are responsible for setting parameters based on the topics and concepts covered in class.
However, teaching students how to use these programs and learning how to use them takes time and effort on the part of the instructor. If an instructor is unfamiliar with machine learning or computer science, navigating the ways AI-art generators are reshaping the art world and comprehending the algorithms may require additional effort.