Embracing Art in the Age of AI: A Manifesto for the Digital Renaissance

To all the moaners, groaners, and technophobes getting their undies in a bunch over the inevitable progress of art and technology: Sit the hell down. Before you accuse artists like me of cheating, or bring your boomer, retrograde, human-insecurity, technophobic fearmongering nonsense into this, F-OFF! I've honed my skills over years, and I promise you, I can outdo 99.9% of you with traditional tools, digital ones, and oh yes, with AI too.

If you're so damn scared of technology or if you've let media and government agendas cram your head with apocalyptic tales to keep you in line, that's on you. But let me enlighten you: I can train an AI model to emulate my style. And guess what? I'm totally fine with it. I'm not quaking in my boots because of some misplaced belief that AI will take over. I'm also cool with anyone using my work to train their AI models. Why? Because I'm not some technophobe who believes AI is a godlike entity while simultaneously thinking it isn't miles more competent than me.

Sure, copyright laws and intellectual property are important. They have their place. But understand this: AI-generated art is new work. The copyright for it should either lie with the AI provider, the genius behind the prompt (yeah, that's not the artists who provide the source training material), or be a mix of both. Got a personal AI model trained with your own designs and prompts? That’s YOUR work. It’s as much yours as a piece made using Photoshop, or a .jpg file from your camera. Remember those finger paintings or macaroni art from high school? Yeah, that was considered 'art' too, for you special bunch.

Art is, and always will be, a form of expression. It’s made with tools. If you're of the opinion that your body is the only legitimate tool for art, then congrats: YOU are the tool.

For the intellectuals trying to stir a debate around AI’s capacity for genuine creativity: let’s get real. Art isn't just about emotion or consciousness. It's about skill, mastery over mediums, and the final product. AI, while not 'conscious' in the way humans are, is still a learner. Like every artist who started off emulating the styles of others before crafting their own, AI does the same. The only difference? It does it faster and often better than most humans. But oh, did I bruise your ego? Does it hurt knowing a machine might outpace you? Evolve, adapt, or pick another profession. But for the love of everything sane, stop your incessant whining and trying to pull us all into the past. Stop mucking it up for those of us who see the potential of technology.

Grow the hell up, whiny babies. Embrace the future or get left in the dust.

P.S. Oh, and for those slow on the uptake: the very words you just read and the sick digital painting you ogled as this post's thumbnail? Crafted by AI tools, trained and steered to emulate my own writing and artistry. Chew on that and try not to choke on your prejudice. Bottoms up!

Old photo from a trip to Puerto Rico about 20 years ago. The original picture, without the hat and featuring the "Oneill" text, is the first one. The other two are variations created using @adobe @photoshop's latest tool called "generative fill," powered by their Firefly AI art generator. It's really cool how seamlessly and effortlessly you can integrate edits with this tool. Personally, I find it convenient to use @wacom's tablet/pen combo for accuracy and speed. I simply use the lasso tool to draw on a shape selection and type a natural language prompt like "add [x]" or "remove [x]" in the text field that pops up as you marquee anything... Voila, it's done!

But it doesn't end there. This tool offers non-destructive edits, on separate layers with editable masks. This provides a great deal of flexibility for revisions and allows for more precise tweaks. Moreover, speaking of flexibility, each prompt yields not just one, but three alternative results, offering even more possibilities for experimentation.

Although highly impressive, I do wish this tool offered further granularity, similar to the options found within the Firefly interface itself. It would be fantastic to have features like regenerating or using your own images to insert generated content from those inserted images —what is up with the flags, guys? It would be great if your AI was the first to accurately generate any country/state/town flag— nonetheless, even with its current capabilities, the tool opens up a world of creative opportunities.

Painting of my wife. Tools: @Wacom #Cintiq monitor and @adobe @photoshop software. Size: 8 x 10in (print) Total time: 19½ hrs (so far) #Wacom #WacomFridayFeatures #MadeWithWacom #Photoshop #Painting #DigitalPainting #Art #Smile #Sunglasses #Portrait #Woman #Face #Photorrealism #Hyperrealism #PaintingsOfInstagram (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIr9I1Jnt0l/?igshid=gn5obec87ejd

Have to get out there soon. I need to get me some wildlife photos. • • • • • #SonyAlpha #sony #camera #mirrorless #canon #lens #presonus #desk #wood #cameragear #studiogear (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHvWsR_HX6i/?igshid=e57hhy2oy6wu

Had to complete my mini studio setup, with this sexy looking #minilabmk2 from @arturia_official. I really wish the keys had a matte finish as they appeared in all the marketing, but even with the glossy ones it looks great. My favorite part is that it is so compact it first nicely behind the #Cintiq, even with the LX arm folded back there too; so that is an unexpected bonus, since I thought I was going to have to design a custom two-tiered drawer. • Time to refresh the little music I remember and start messing with it. • Swipe ⬅️ for other angles. • • • • @wacom @ergotron @logitech #YesLogitech @autonomousdotai #AutonomousSetup @bluemicrophones #compass @presonus #eris35 #PoweredByBlue (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHeNFfYHqHS/?igshid=1fx6sj1ff5b33

Not the best quality. I left home without my camera. • • • • • #sierravista #arizona #landscapephotography #landscape #sky #skyscape #skiesofinstagram #cloudscape #cloudsofinstagram #extraordinaryskies #uncommonground @cityofsierravista @visit_arizona #sunset #cañondeflores #phonetography #huachucamountains #desert #desertlife (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDt2qLEHHJj/?igshid=133x5olrfiujt

Sorry I can't posted much lately, I have not been going out much due to #covid19. Here's a photo of Maddy trying to take a selfie. • • • #catsofinstagram #camera #mirrorless #cat #selfie @8sinn @peakdesign @sonyalpha (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCg3B9OHCby/?igshid=1dmzmuvbj76qf

"Trumper Tantrum" • • • #merica #maga #trump #manity #crazyhair #cartoon #charicature #drawing #sketch (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCfSB7_nB9S/?igshid=n6vcwtvgyw5w

Chocolate cake by @satterfieldsweets • • • • • #chocolate #darkchocolate #cherry #cake #bake #bakery #productphotography #lightbox #enjoy #foodporn #dessert #sweet #cakesofinstagram (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAeYjmjjqqP/?igshid=jwaa4xe7gxjl

This perky road runner, hunting lizards in our backyard posed for a second before disappearing into dust... 😏 • Hope everyone is staying safe and only going out when necessary. • • • #arizona #sierravista #desert #desertlife #desertfauna #bird #birdsofinstagram #roadrunner #silhouette #usa #nature #animalphotography #animal #bluesky (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGLZFHBYUK/?igshid=db8p3y74e8g3

While I'm practicing safety and isolation, I'm also not overly emotional or attached to anyone asking to be infected. I'm however sympathetic to the essential workers exposing themselves to continue bringing us a sense of normalcy. But in the grand scheme of the universe and life on Earth, understanding the mechanisms of evolution I am neither scared not worried about the future of life, even if we're not around, nature always finds a way. Stay home and learn from animals around you, they know how to survive and protect others without throwing their entire species under a bus. Stay safe and wait this out, it's boring and anxiety-inducing, but if we're fit as a species, we'll make it. #nature #bird #fauna #animals #wildlife #dove #tin #bucket #nest #nesting #coronavirus #apocalypse #socialdistancing (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-A9ftynMZj/?igshid=m9l2xhyno504

Barely made it outside. 🤦🏽‍♂️🙄 • • • • • #sierravista #arizona #visitarizona #mountains #huachuca #sky #skyscape #colors #clouds #extraordinaryskies #uncommonground @cityofsierravista @visitarizona @visittheusa #nature #sunset #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetphotography (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7HroW2nG-X/?igshid=1460ynl7i9ixt

Forgot to post these the other day. • • • • • #christmas #christmastree #pie #cherrypie #ornaments #snowman #blur #bokeh #bokehlicious #food #foodporn #bake #bakedgoods #holidayseason #holidays #seasonsgreetings #tistheseason #latemas (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wFImtHwfH/?igshid=11uyxid4r5xl4

Old cat basking in the sun she loves. • • • • • #cat #catsofinstagram #maddycat #nye #nye2020 #nature #animal #pet #petsofinstagram #petphotography #catphotography #animalphotography #cute #kitty #kittycat #suntan #warm #warmth https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wElvFnm1a/?igshid=ngc8diagp9oe

Filters. Not even once. 😏🥃 Still amazed at how quickly and easily you can turn crap into flashy crap with a phone and an app. • • • • • @cityofsierravista #sierravista @visitarizona #arizona #huachucamountains #snow #nye #mountains #nature #weather #travel @photoshop #photoshop #sony #lgg8thinq #thinq #clouds #sky #skyscape #uncommonground #extraordinaryskies #filters #fakesunset #sunsetsofinstagram #sunset (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wD3bGnGaQ/?igshid=1r1pphnsb4aee

Yadier Molina. @cardinals • • • • • #yadiermolina #cardinals #stl #stlcardinals #mlb #chasefield #arizona #phoenix #puertorico #bat #atbat #baseball #catcher #sports #blackandwhite #bnw #blackandwhitephotography #longestgame #19innings #bnwphotography @stlcardenales @mlb #usa (at Chase Field) https://www.instagram.com/p/B22Q9HpH-Da/?igshid=c3ilf8534c4t

Vanilla & champagne flavored, blue macarons . Baking: @satterfieldsweets • • • • • #macarons #blue #tiffany #tiffanyandco #tiffanyblue #ring #diamond #wedding (at Sierra Vista, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B20dxvYHxzo/?igshid=gtvillijxp6k