Michelangelo made sculptures and paintings. He worked in Italy in the 1400s and 1500s. Auguste Rodin created statues in France 300 years later. Then, Käthe Kollwitz painted in Germany. In the 1900s, Takamura Kotaro made art in Japan. So did Augusta Savage in the USA.
These artists lived in different places and times. None are still alive. And yet, all five artists on a sculpture in 2023. How is this possible? Artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is machine learning. The technology lets computers learn on their own. It’s like how people learn. A company called Sandvik had an AI program study the five artists. The program created the first AI statue. The steel statue shows a person holding a globe.
The sculpture is called The Impossible Statue. It is at a museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Peter Skogh is the museum director. He said the statue shows “what technology and human can create.”
This isn’t the only AI art. AI- images have gotten a lot of attention. There are generators online. They let people create images. A user types in an idea, such as “flowers on another planet.” The generator then makes that image. This technology isn’t perfect. But many AI pictures look real.
AI is making music too. The Beatles were a rock band. The group got famous in the 1960s. Paul McCartney and John Lennon led the band. Lennon died in 1980. On a BBC radio show, McCartney shared news. The band is putting out one last record. It will have Lennon’s voice. AI made this possible.
AI art is also leading to questions about tech. One issue is that AI can spread fake news. If an AI image looks real, people may believe an untrue story. AI art can also be unfair to human artists. After all, AI has to learn from pieces by real artists. But those real artists don’t get paid. Some groups are suing AI generators.
McCartney admitted that he has concerns about AI. “All of that is kind of scary,” he said. “But exciting because it’s the future.”
Updated June 15, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
