Michelangelo made famous sculptures and paintings. He worked in Italy in the 1400s and 1500s. About 300 years later, Auguste Rodin created statues in France. In the late 1800s, Käthe Kollwitz painted in Germany. And the 1900s brought art from Takamura Kotaro of Japan and Augusta Savage of the United States.
These artists lived in different countries and different times. None of them are still alive. And yet, all five artists worked together to create a sculpture in 2023. How is this possible? Artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is machine learning. It’s a technology that allows computers to learn on their own. It’s like how people learn as they get older. In this case, a company called Sandvik had an AI program study the art of the five masters. The program took in the poses shown by Michelangelo. And it studied the muscles molded by Rodin. Then, it created the first AI statue. The steel statue shows a person holding a globe.
The piece shows what it may have looked like if the five famous artists . Of course, that teamwork would not have been possible. So the sculpture is called The Impossible Statue. The artwork is at a technology museum in Stockholm, Sweden. “The Impossible Statue is a great example of what technology and human can create,” said museum director Peter Skogh. He hopes the art will get young people interested in .
This isn’t the only example of AI art. AI- images have been in the spotlight a lot. There are generators online that let people create whatever images they can think up. A user types in an idea, such as “flowers on another planet.” Then the generator will make that image. The technology isn’t always perfect. Some AI programs are still learning how to show human hands. AI-made hands may look odd. Still, many AI pictures look real.
AI is making music too. The Beatles were a rock band from England. The group shot to fame in the 1960s. Singer-songwriters Paul McCartney and John Lennon led the band. Lennon died in 1980. On a recent BBC radio show, McCartney announced some news. The band is putting out one last record — with Lennon’s voice. McCartney said AI made it possible. The tech got Lennon’s voice from old recordings and made it sound good again.
AI art is giving people big new ideas. But it’s also stirring up big questions about technology. One issue is that AI can be used to spread fake news. If an AI-made 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 something. The programs learn from pieces by real artists. But those real artists didn’t give permission or get paid. Some groups are suing AI generators.
McCartney admitted that he has concerns about AI technology and its impact. “All of that is kind of scary,” he said on the radio show. “But exciting because it’s the future.”
Updated June 15, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
