My feelings about the AI made or created artworks are very mixed to say the least. It is a highly debated topic on the internet, at least what I have read about it so far. On the one hand, I can understand others and say the same: AI cannot create real art. On the other hand, I can also say that it indeed can… And this duality regarding the topic comes from a single question: do the creations of AI have any soul?
Well, the answer is of course not simple at all. If the AI tries to just go “wild” and create something on its own, then my answer leans to no. However, in case the AI is used as a tool by a person, it can create art with soul, because that soul comes from the person who uses the AI as a paintbrush. In this case, even my clunky hands can paint beautiful and deep pictures. And believe me, I can draw some nice things, but I am very bad at painting. Although, I am good with words, and through my words AI can help me create the picture in my head on the screen of my computer. What a wonderful time we are living in right?
A great example for this is Midjourney (I used the Discord Bot version to test it out), which operates on the command of users. By giving a short story (kind of) for the AI, it becomes able to create art — or in other words, we create art through it. We give every parameter to the AI and it works by us. However, it is still true that the AI operates on the basis of a database, but similarly so do we humans: shared cultural frames and signs. And it is the people, who give uniqueness and soul to these creations. Therefore, if used well (if I can call it that way…) or with the same intent as using a paintbrush, I believe we can create art with it, but on its own, AI cannot create art.
I would like to show some of the pictures I “painted” with Midjourney. Let us start with some lighter themes:
(Yes it is about my mild coffee addiction…)
I call this one “The Dance of the Coffee Grinder”

I like little things, and I know that all of them has a story. So I am fascinated by the result of this picture. It tells a lovely story.
This one is “The Last Coffee among Onions”

And finally, the “Onion-knight Guarding the Last Coffee”

This has a kind of ending of the world theme, similar to that of Dark Soul’s themes. Also, to me it seems like a fairytale…
Now let us move on to some sceneries:
“The Touch of the Thunder King”

It symbolises the power of nature and the weakness of Man.
“Silverpine Forest”

“Lost Knight Errant’s Horse on the Fields”

This one is a bit sad, since the horse is lonely and lost her rider. A ghostly figure appears behind. Loneliness haunts the beautiful scenery.
The next two pictures are born of the same idea. They revolve around the shadow of the wolf, a mythological presence.
“Moon-shadow of the Wolf”

The doom of the hero is foreshadowed by the silhouette of the wolf that draws behind the ancient forest.
“Lonely Wanderer” or “Treading on the Wolf’s Land”

Before moving onto the Cataclysm series, let me show you the kelp forests and the underwater world.
“Sunken City”

“Kelp Forest”

“Travellers’ Doom”

“The World beneath the Waves”

Cataclysm series:
“Devourer of the Sun”

“Fate of the Moon”

“Burning Worlds”

“End Times of the Wolf”

All of these paintings are made with MidJourney. But the stories that created these painting are written by me. And I put my own feelings and a piece from myself into them, and it gave them depth. So let us think about it a second, can these really be considered art?
Huge shout out to the team behind Midjourney! Here is a link to their site if anyone would like to try it out: