AI as a tool for artists, what can you do with it?
February 2025
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities for artists. AI offers new tools that can help create, edit, and apply artists’ work. How can AI be a tool in the art world and are there any threats?
What does AI mean in art?
AI in art refers to the use of artificial intelligence to create, analyze or improve art. As an artist you can use AI in different ways:
Generating artworks
AI can independently create art based on certain styles or preferences. Popular AI-powered tools such as DALL·E, Deep Dream and Runway ML allow you as an artist to create a digital work of art in seconds. As a painter you can use this technology as a source of inspiration, preliminary study and composition. It can help you establish color palettes, refine perspectives and proportions.
Automatic image editing
AI-enabled image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Krita, and Corel Painter help artists retouch and enhance images. Useful features such as automatic background removal, slim filters and automatic color correction, save time and increase the quality of the results. Also suppliers of tablet or smartphones offer photo editing programs suitable for iPhone or Android.
Music and sound art
Not only visual arts, but also music and sound art benefit from AI. Tools such as AIVA and Amper Music help composers create unique pieces of music. AI can generate melodies, analyze rhythms and even improve existing compositions.
AI as co-creator
AI is increasingly used as a co-creator. Artists can train AI models with their own style, ensuring the output generated matches their artistic vision. This opens the door to unique hybrid art forms. AI can help simulate textures and materials, giving painters a better idea of how their work will look on different surfaces. This is especially useful when experimenting with new techniques and combinations of materials.
Text generation and writing assistance
Writers and poets use AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek to find inspiration and generate content. AI can help write poetry, stories or even artistic statements for exhibitions.
Benefits of AI in the artworld
There are many advantages to use AI as an artist:
- It ensures that time-consuming tasks are automated, so that you as an artist can focus on the creative process.
- Analyzing AI-generated art can create new ideas and styles. You can use AI to experiment with new techniques without risks.
- AI tools make art and design accessible to beginners without extensive technical knowledge.
Opportunities and challenges of AI in the art world
AI can be a valuable tool for artists, but there are also disadvantages. A fascinating application of AI in painting is the creation of new works of art without human intervention. Artificial intelligence can be trained on thousands of paintings and then produce completely original art that still retains the hallmarks of classical styles. What does this mean for the role of an artist?
Some artists fear that AI will replace creativity or cause copyright issues. The ethical discussion about AI-generated art is currently still ongoing. Experts say we should view AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. The emotional depth, personal expression and cultural context of works of art cannot (yet) be fully replicated by algorithms.
Text and painting by Carola Siksma Ruiters
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