Is Writing Prompts Really Making Art?
This position paper critically examines the hype around AI-generated art, addressing implications for artists and the broader creative community.
The paper questions claims that text-prompt generative systems revolutionize creativity and art, analyzing limitations in linguistic descriptions, dataset implications, and materiality to assess if they constitute a new artistic medium.
In recent years Generative Machine Learning systems have advanced significantly. A current wave of generative systems use text prompts to create complex imagery, video, even 3D datasets. The creators of these systems claim a revolution in bringing creativity and art to anyone who can type a prompt. In this position paper, we question the basis for these claims, dividing our analysis into three areas: the limitations of linguistic descriptions, implications of the dataset, and lastly, matters of materiality and embodiment. We conclude with an analysis of the creative possibilities enabled by prompt-based systems, asking if they can be considered a new artistic medium.