Text Stefania Michelutti
The emergent and recent application of AI in the field of creative arts has raised several worries and doubts about the legitimacy of the products realised, which might be well summarised with the questions “Is this real art?” and “is this fair?”, underlining the several ethical implications involved.
An analysis in this direction would require an in-depth research and still, at the end of it, we are not sure to be able to give a clear-cut and agreed answer. In the globalised word order the speed of happenings is usually faster than the ability of human thinking and maybe it can be interesting to try to answer to this question by observing and reporting what actually occurs.
For this purpose it might be curious to move our attention to northern Italy where the students of a local VET school, Civiform, have been the minds behind the exhibition called “Graphic design is (not) art?”, organised with the collaboration of Fondazione Friuli and inaugurated on 5 July 2024.
The exhibition is a provocative invitation to reflect on the nature of graphic disciplines and their definition: “Graphics is (Not) Art?” merges VET learners’ creativity and generative artificial intelligence. The exhibition counts 18 pieces of art realised by 18 students of the third year of the “Graphics” study course. The VET students, guided by their trainer and art director Giuliano Michelini, have recreated, through generative AI, image processing software and traditional editing tools, famous works of art by bringing them into the current world or by imagining to take a real photo of the subject itself, in a moment out of time. The inspiration provided by historicised works of art – from the Renaissance to Neoclassicism, from Surrealism to Street Art – has been updated and personalised thanks to the technological potential in support of creativity. Each work is the unique product of a dialogue between the algorithm and the student, where the machine amplifies and enriches the human creative process rather than suppressing it.
This exhibition represents a challenge to conventional conceptions of the visual arts, their creative process and the role of technology in their development. The use of artificial intelligence in graphic and artistic creation, in fact, is fertile ground for innovation and experimentation. However, this power is not without responsibility. Our challenge is to embrace progress without sacrificing the authenticity and individuality that personal creativity embraces. Conversely, those who see in Generative AI only negative aspects and believe that it will completely replace man’s work, look only to the past, losing sight of the current flows of the world and the labour market in which they are immersed.
As wisely commented by art director of the exhibition “The use of AI in graphic and artistic creation is an important step to be taken into account when discussing about innovation. However, this powerful tool needs to be used with awareness and responsibility. As guardians of creativity, we must exercise careful and thoughtful judgment in our use of these technologies.”
Website: https://www.civiform.it/2024/07/09/fino-al-21-luglio-civiform-in-mostra-alla-fondazione-friuli/
