BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, many artists are figuring out how to use the technology – if at all.
“Vermont is always going to need art, and art is always going to need people,” said Susan Evan McClure, Executive Director of Vermont Arts Council.
Jenn Karson uses artificial intelligence as a tool in her artistic process to explore the intersection between technology and the environment.
“Artists have been using tools since we’ve been making art, whether that would be a paintbrush or it could be a chisel,” said Karson.
Karson’s use of AI is driven by her own philosophical questions.
“How do we work with this tool where we still have that artistic intention and control? Are you using the technology or is the technology using you, right? I think that, across the board, you can see that when artists are creating masterful work, it’s because they’ve mastered their tools,” she said.
Karson’s latest exhibit – The Generative Tree – drew inspiration from an outbreak of spongy moth caterpillars that devastated trees in her neighborhood.
The project used an a-I model that imagines what damaged leaves from these trees would look like if they were healed. The exhibit in Waterbury features over 600 digital prints, machine engravings, and an interactive AI installation.
Karson hopes her work will help promote a more nuanced dialogue about the use of AI – and she isn’t the only one.
Last month, the Vermont Arts Council launched a survey asking artists their thoughts on AI.
“When you have a new technology like this, it’s easy to make a lot of assumptions about what people are really concerned about, and we wanted to go right to the source,” said McClure.
While some see AI as an exciting or helpful tool, almost 90% of survey participants say they’re worried about at least one aspect of the tech – especially regarding copyright infringement and compensation.
“The need for artists is not going away any time soon, even if there is AI. What we have the opportunity to do now is safeguard those artists’ works and those artists’ way of life, so that they can continue to innovate in the future,” said McClure.
Going forward, the council is focused on supporting artists and their calls for increased regulation of AI, such as one bill introduced by Senator Peter Welch that would help artists learn if their work has been used to train an AI model.
“I do believe there are opportunities for AI to be a positive movement forward for artists, not a negative, but we need to be very vocal about what’s going on that we are very upset about,” said Karson.