Why artist Jeff Koons says he won’t use AI anytime soon

Jeff Koons, the renowned sculptor known for his monumental works, has stated he will not incorporate artificial intelligence directly into his artistic practice, preferring to focus on biological inspirations.

Current stance on AI: Koons maintains a limited relationship with artificial intelligence, using it only as a visualization tool for exploring different material options in his work.

• He employs AI solely to preview how different materials like wood, marble, or steel might look in his designs
• Koons emphasizes that AI serves as a tool rather than an active creative agent in his practice

Historical context: Koons’s relationship with technology and manufacturing has evolved over time.

• His signature works include large-scale sculptures of balloon animals and everyday objects with machine-like finishes
• In 2019, Koons acknowledged increasing use of 3D modeling and computer data in his creative process
• His works are known for their intensive fabrication processes and associated high production costs

Biological inspiration: The artist’s current focus centers on biological processes and natural phenomena.

• Koons reports engaging with Nobel Prize-winning research about chemical chain reactions
• This biological emphasis influences his ongoing exhibition at the Alhambra in Granada, where his work is shown alongside Picasso’s
• He suggests that biology offers greater potential for creation and transformation than current AI capabilities

Artist perspective: While many prominent artists like David Salle and Takashi Murakami have embraced AI in their practice, Koons maintains a more traditional approach.

• His stance highlights a growing divide in the art world between those embracing and those limiting AI’s role
• Koons distinguishes between using technology as a supplementary tool versus allowing it to drive creative decisions

Future implications: Koons’s position reflects broader questions about AI’s role in artistic creation and authenticity.

The artist’s resistance to fully incorporating AI while maintaining his trademark technological precision suggests a nuanced relationship between traditional artistic processes and emerging technologies in contemporary art practice.