When Artificial Intelligence Makes Art, Who’s Really Creating?

A.I. Enters the Museum

At Munich’s Haus der Kunst, the exhibition “Voices” by Philippe Parreno created an experience that blurred boundaries between reality and technology. Visitors encountered a mix of films, light sculptures, dancers, and live video feeds from Spain’s Tabernas Desert. A motorized wall moved unpredictably, heat lamps adjusted the room temperature to match Spanish weather, and a calm voice spoke in an invented language generated by an A.I. system.

The voice, based on recordings of German news anchor Susanne Daubner, responded in real time to environmental data from the exhibition space. Meanwhile, robotic cameras in Spain adjusted their views dynamically. All these elements were coordinated by a machine simply called the “Brain,” displayed as part of the installation. The effect was both unsettling and mesmerizing—a reminder that technology can create new forms of artistic expression.

What A.I. Means for Artists

Art has always been a human conversation, a way to ask questions and share ideas. Even when tools changed—from brushes to cameras—the core remained human creativity. A.I. complicates this by acting as a tool that can either extend an artist’s skills or challenge them with unexpected suggestions. Sometimes, it even pushes us to rethink what intelligence means.

Many have tried A.I. art through text-to-image tools like Dall-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion, generating quick and playful images from simple prompts. Others follow projects like Keke, an “autonomous A.I. artist,” or Botto, which produces digital art partly curated by humans and sold as NFTs. Yet, these creations often feel familiar—surreal, dreamlike, and somewhat generic.

Why? Because quick and easy outputs rarely yield deeply original art. Museums attract people with unique, singular works—pieces that feel alive with the artist’s process. In contrast, many A.I. models are trained on vast internet data, including copyrighted art, aiming to imitate rather than innovate. The creative decisions often happen before or after the image is generated, not during its making. The process resembles mass production more than human growth.

Living With A.I.

• New Opportunities: While A.I. may disrupt some creative jobs, it also opens new career paths for those who adapt.
• Everyday Use: A.I. tools are becoming part of daily workflows, from idea generation to content creation.
• Research and Scholarship: Historians and scholars are beginning to use A.I. to reshape narratives about the past.
• Digital Legacy: Families are creating virtual avatars to preserve memories and personalities beyond a person's life.

The presence of A.I. in art is less a dramatic upheaval and more like a complex, evolving background—sometimes surprising, sometimes subtle. For creatives, the question isn't if A.I. will be part of the process, but how to engage with it thoughtfully.

If you're curious about integrating A.I. tools into your creative workflow or want to explore courses that can help you adapt, consider checking out Complete AI Training’s latest courses.