Artificial Intelligence should’ve been like any other software, such as raster graphics editor products, that can aid artists to produce quality pieces. AI art could’ve been a source of pride, but it’s now a source of mayhem. Is it too late now to change things?

Here are some things you need to address and be cautious about the use of AI art generators in the art industry. Take back the power to create. Maybe along the way, you will find that tools for AI art can also be something you can harness.

Boundaries Crossed: The Plagiarisms in the Industry Today 

Examples of AI art are winning awards, but these may be likely to be banned and disqualified from competitions and platforms soon. A number of major art sites and platforms, such as Newgrounds and Inkblot have already banned generated art pieces from their services.

Meanwhile, the backlash against the popular site DeviantArt has increased due to how quiet they have been on the issue. AI art is seen by many as plagiarism due to how it’s being created through AI image generators. The concerns of the online art community must be heard and addressed.

• Works in progress have been stolen from artists only to be finished quickly by someone using AI. The original artists are then accused of plagiarism by the same AI users who took their work.
• Existing artworks and photographs are being used for AI training without the original creators’ permission. This violates copyright laws.
• Art styles are being copied. Imagine developing your unique creative style for years, only to be replicated by a machine in minutes.

Maximizing AI for Creativity: Tools You Can Use for Your Own Work

If you’re one of the hopefuls who believes Artificial Intelligence can eventually be used for good, you may still enjoy it as long as you know your limitations.

Always disclose if you are using generative AI to create. Tag your pieces whenever possible, especially when posted on social platforms. Doing this prevents your audience from being misled.¹

Here are some AI image generators that you may want to explore if you want to recreate your own work using AI art tools. See for yourself if any of these image generators can be helpful to you and your fellow creators.

DALL-E 2

DALL-E 2 is an AI image generator created by OpenAI. It can be used to create highly realistic images and illustrations, and design products to form new ideas for businesses. Amateur creators can also use it with its easy-to-navigate interface.

The way you’ll use it may remind you of how you use Adobe Photoshop’s paintbrush in image editing. DALL-E 2’s paintbrush can help you add details, like shadows and highlights, so you can produce complex, multi-layered images.²

The use of DALL-E 2 is free, with a credit allowance that replenishes every month.

Midjourney

Midjourney is one of the best AI generators of the highest-quality photos. The fun part is that you get to share your generated images with their community of users via Discord. The cost to use this tool starts at $8 a month.³

NightCafe

NightCafe AI is popular among AI art app users with its extremely easy-to-use interface for novice users. It is also known to have more algorithms and options than other generators of the same kind.

Like DALL-E 2, NightCafe is credit-based and has a free tier you can access. You can earn credits by simply participating in the community or purchasing them.

Deep Dream Generator

Deep Dream is a popular online tool that allows you to create realistic images with AI. It relies on a trained neural network that has been fed millions of images. It requires you to upload an image for the tool to generate a new AI image based on the first one.

The downside of this is that artwork from non-consenting artists may have already been used in its system to produce various painting styles for its AI images.

Stablecog

This free open-source AI image generator has been used by more than 3,000 people during its first month. It can create realistic images from scratch. Stablecog makes use of Stable Diffusion, which was made with SvelteKit. It uses Supabase for the recording and managing of its metadata and cog cluster.

Runway ML

Runway ML is a great video editor tool where you can also create animations and 3D models. It can also generate realistic images and use relative motion analysis to analyze what you’re trying to produce.

It works by training and using machine learning models. Additionally, this tool has an object recognition feature that can help identify objects in videos and images.

WOMBO Dream

The Dream app is a great AI generator that can help you create surreal designs and NFT. It is free to use and can transform photos into cartoon-styled rendering and other styles.

The app is considered the best NFT creator application. It can also turn words and phrases into art-like pieces, letting you choose from a broad variety of styles.

Bing Image Creator

Bing is also powered by DALL-E and is free to use. The biggest advantage of this tool is that it can be accessed via a browser or where you can find the Bing AI chatbot. A Microsoft account is needed to use it.

The easiest way to use it is to put Bing chat on creative mode and ask it to create your prompt.

Fotor

Fotor is another great, user-friendly NFT-creating tool. Its generator offers advanced AI tools to create art in a few minutes.

To use it, you would need to upload your preferred images and select the style you want to be applied to them. You can also easily add personal touches and create layers.

You don’t need an account to use the software or to download your finished project.

Protecting Your Art from Theft 

Let’s face it, a lot of digital artists online have been victimized by plagiarism. Whether you use an AI art generator or not in producing your work, know that it’s your own piece and you should have full control over who can access it and how it will be used. You have the right to keep it from being stolen by others. Here are some practices to protect your work.

• Use tools, like Glaze software, that can protect your creations from the AI training of others. Glaze was designed by researchers from the University of Chicago to keep AI tools from learning a particular art style.
• Apply watermarks to all your art pieces, especially digitally created pieces. By that, we mean more than one watermark. Add them to visible spots or choose a few notable parts of your pieces to cover them.
• Only upload low-resolution images to your online portfolio and social platforms. This protects your original file from being copied via AI and saves it from being reproduced as merchandise without your permission.
• Take legal action if necessary to protect your rights to your work. ⁴

Create Your Art with Respect 

Whatever tools or media you wish to use, remember that your art must be created with respect for you and your viewers. Be honest with them and yourself by creating what feels true to you. Take pride in your art by making it uniquely yours.

Related Reading: The Next Big Thing: AI Takes Over 

PARTNER WITH ODG FOR YOUR GROWTH AND SUCCESS

ODG has been serving in the staff augmentation and technology consulting business since 1996. Build an authentic partnership with your next employer to help cultivate your career in your chosen industry. Get in touch with us!

References 

1 Bailey, Jonathan. “The Battle Lines Over AI Art.” Plagiarism Today, 13 Sept. 2022, www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/09/13/the-battle-lines-over-ai-art/.

2 McFarland, Alex. “10 Best AI Art Generators (April 2023).” Unite.Ai, 1 Apr. 2023, www.unite.ai/10-best-ai-art-generators/.

3 Ortiz, Sabrina. “The Best AI Art Generators: DALL-E 2 and Other Fun Alternatives to Try.” ZDNET, 12 Apr. 2023, www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-art-generator/.

4 Brodsky, Sascha. “How Artists Are Fighting Back Against AI Art That Copies Their Works.” Lifewire, 16 Apr. 2023, www.lifewire.com/how-artists-are-fighting-back-against-ai-art-that-copies-their-works-7110583.