A work created using AI wins an art competition, much to the chagrin of the competing artists

A work created using AI wins an art competition, much to the chagrin of the competing artists


The work Space Opera Theater results from a process of more than 80 hours between the generation of the image by artificial intelligence and its printing on canvas. Twitter screenshot Colorado State Fair/Jason Allen

The victory of the work baptized Space Opera Theater created on the occasion of the Colorado State Fair by IA Midjourney opens the debate on the place of artificial intelligence in art.

"I won, and I didn't break any rules". Jason Allen, a video game designer, won first place in the Colorado State Fair art competition on Monday (August 29th) in the digital art category. A controversial victory since some competitors have accused the artist of cheating.

The cause ? The use of an artificial intelligence for the conception of this work baptized Space opera theater. The Midjourney system is capable of generating images from written instructions. In a baroque spirit, the image depicts an opera scene where three characters stand facing a large circular opening that bathes the room in light. It's actually the result of an 80+ hour process in which Jason Allen played around with wordings that led artificial intelligence to generate images that blended Victorian-style costumes with space themes. In total, the AI ​​generated 900 images, only three of which were selected and then retouched and printed on canvas, before being submitted to the art competition.

Many Internet users, including artists, reacted on social networks following the publication of the work, thus opening the debate around the place of artificial intelligence in art. In a tweet that went viral, the artist called GenelJumalon on social media judged “pretty shitty” the fact that Jason Allen's work won the competition. However, as he points out to the New York Times the artist has "broken no rules" of the competition. The rules of the category “digital art” stipulates that the works presented must use “digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process”.

If Jason Allen, 39, mentioned Midjourney in the presentation of his work, the jury member of the competition and himself artist Cal Duran said that he had not realized that it was generated by AI when he judged her. Without calling into question the first place awarded. “I think this work is very complex and that AI technology can provide more possibilities for people who do not consider themselves artists in the classic sense of the word”he said in remarks reported by CNN Business .



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