AI doesn’t have a physical form, so any idea we have about what it ‘looks like’ must necessarily be abstract.
If you ask it to create a self portrait, it might convey neural networks, or a blandly smiling robot assistant – at least, this is what we got when we asked Dall-E 3 for compositions.
But now a new artwork claims to be the first ‘true’ self portrait of AI.
This is because it shows the individuals who really shaped its capabilities, or some of them at least.
The image by insurance company Hiscox uses headshot photos of 40 different artists, which were merged together using a coding programme called Facer.
With a designer, this was then stylised into a ‘self-portrait’ mimicking the style of a traditional oil painting.
The aim was to highlight how AI is not merely a computer programme, but trained on creations by real people, and look at how artists can be fairly recognised and compensated for their role.
The portrait was made for the release of the Hiscox Art and AI Report, which looks into how collectors are responding to the influx of AI art.
While some AI art has sold for huge amounts, the report found that most traditional collectors are still not sold on it, though the new generation are more open to it competing with human-made works.
Some are trying to grapple with how to fairly recognise human creators for their role in AI, such as the makers of Tess, the ‘first properly-licensed image generator’ with pays royalties when an artist’s style is used.
The report found that42% of art collectors and enthusiasts had ethical concerns with AI art, while more than a third (37%) were concerned about copyright infringement.
Compensation was a critical concern, as well as the need for clear labelling to differentiate between AI-generated art and man-made content.
Some work created using AI has commanded huge prices.
The first painting by a humanoid robot to be sold at Sotheby’s, ‘A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing’ by Ai-Da, a robot with cameras in her eyes who previously painted the Queen, went for $1,084,800 (£836,667) last month, far exceeding the expected price of up to $180,000 (£139,000).
Robert Read, head of Art and Private Client at Hiscox, said: ‘The use of AI in art is a new frontier for the art market, and that brings both risk and opportunity. Using advanced technologies can be a fantastic creative enabler, but our research shows there are still issues that the industry is grappling with – particularly when it comes to transparency and compensation.
‘There’s nothing inherently wrong with an AI learning to make art by studying and absorbing human art – so long as it is done ethically, transparently and fairly.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Man takes a bite out of banana he bought for £4,880,000
MORE: Rotting fish bob in UK rivers in disturbing AI images warning of sewage crisis
MORE: Fruit seller who sold £5,000,000 banana won’t get a penny
