Psychology Today contributor Moses Ma argues that artificial intelligence will not destroy artistic expression but will instead catalyze a new creative renaissance, much like photography did in the 19th century. Drawing parallels to the modernist era’s response to technological disruption, Ma proposes that AI will liberate humanity from the “tyranny of talent” and democratize artistic creation while pushing serious artists to redefine their craft.
The big picture: History shows that technological threats to art typically expand rather than eliminate creative expression, with photography’s invention in 1839 ultimately leading to an explosion of new art movements like Impressionism and Cubism.
What you should know: Ma coins the term “generativism” to describe the emerging art movement that will use AI as a creative tool while forcing artists to examine what makes their work uniquely human.
• Portrait painting actually experienced growth after photography’s invention due to cost reductions that broadened market interest.
• AI represents the 21st century equivalent of Marcel Duchamp’s “Readymades,” where manufactured objects were declared art through conceptual redefinition.
• The technology will enable anyone to create art, breaking down traditional barriers based on natural talent.
Why this matters: As AI democratizes creative capabilities, professional artists must evolve beyond technical skill to focus on conceptual depth and human experience, similar to how photographers forced painters to develop new artistic movements.
What they’re saying: Ma references historical perspectives on technological disruption in art.
• Painter J.M.W. Turner, upon seeing early cameras, declared: “This is the end of art. I am glad I have had my day.”
• Playwright Émile Zola’s artistic philosophy: “If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
The challenge ahead: Artists must venture into “vast undiscovered territories of human creativity” to define their relevance in an AI-enabled world, using the technology as an irritant that produces new pearls of artistic expression.
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