English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

Nishat Mamnoon
Missouri University of Science and Technology

ARTIFICIAL ARTIST:
EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON ART AND MEDIA

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

March, 3 2023

Artificial Artist: Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Art and Media

Throughout history the hands of talented artists of all kinds have created unique masterpieces, all

carrying stories of lost times and creators and as technology improves a new challenger enters

the stage of art and media, artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence may be changing the way

art is made and viewed in all of modern media. The relationship between art and A.I. technology

can be tracked as far back as 1956, beginning the continuously improving action of imitating

famous artistic styles such as Cubism and Futurism (Shen & Yu,2021). The technology is being

used in a variety of ways from restoring lost pieces of art to creating entirely new worlds through

the use of virtual reality. In this way A.I. has the potential to revolutionize the creative arts field.

However A.I. also threatens to harm those who create art through their own skill. The question of

who owns A.I. generated art is at the forefront of this topic. Despite the great potential that

artificial intelligence carries in the art and media industry, there is a concern for those whose

work is being used to teach, said A.I. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how the rise of

artificial intelligence technology is affecting modern art and media. To complete this research I

will investigate the different uses of artificial intelligence in art and media. I will analyze how art

ownership and copyright changes after the rise of A.I. technology. I will evaluate the ways A.I.

generated art and media is aiding in preservation of history and creating change in the culture of

public media.

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

Problem Statement and Purpose of the Study

Artificial Intelligence is being used to generate artwork to be used in a variety of areas in media

including illustration, music, and animation. A.I. generators do this by taking already published

works and imitating them to create new works. This brings up confusion as to who owns the

generated art. There have been multiple copyright law suits made not only by artists but also

companies controlling stock photos like Getty Images, claiming that the A.I. stole copyrighted

images, or artists unique styles, to create the generated art (Glavish, 2023). The EU copyright

law protects A.I. generated art, viewing the works as “A.I. assisted” (Hugenholtz & Quintais,

2021). This topic calls into question the idea of creativity and originality. The purpose of this

essay is to summarize the effects of artificial intelligence in the art and media sphere. For

creators of all branches in media will be affected by the ways that A.I. might change the ways

laws protect their work. The threat of being overtaken by modern machinery is a threat to many

professionals, and the topic of whether a machine can create truly original art is one that is

central to this topic. The impacts of artificial intelligence spread throughout the rest of modern

media.

Connection to the Field

The use of AI in art and media has been around since around 1956, utilized to accomplish

a multitude of tasks including art digitization and generation (Shen & Yu 2021). Over time the

drawbacks of AI technology made themselves known. The AI technology is being used against

artists and calling into question the ideas of “originality” and “creativity”. Completely AI

generated art, such as the “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” are able to win awards at art competitions

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

against real artists (Roose 2022). This creates an even larger problem in the question of

ownership for these AI generated pieces. The AI used to generate the pieces learned from works

by established artists without permission nor payment. This is why “AI-artists” like Robbie

Barrate wish to gain copyright to the media they create (Pattishall 2019), and why many artists

and companies, such as Getty Images, wish to prevent AI art from being protected by copyright

(Glavish 2023). Furthermore, the copyright protection differs by governments, for example the

EU does protect AI generation under copyright (Hugenholtz & Quintais 2021). In this way, the

question of who owns AI art under the law affects not only the creators using the technology, but

also the artists and companies whose property and work is being taken without compensation to

teach the AI generators. The damage that AI generated art does to the community of

established artists and creators and their protection under the law, alongside the multitude of

benefits this continuously improving technology brings to the field of art and media raises the

questions of, is it worth it?

Research Design

To gather secondary data about the effects of AI technology on art and media I will use the

databases Scopus, Project Muse, and JSTOR. Scopus has a large variety of articles, giving more

opportunity to find articles that focus more about the way A.I. technology works in a

technological sense. JSTOR and Project Muse are both listed as sources of articles focusing on

art and philosophy, making them a good source of information about the social impacts of the

rise of A.I. technology, including in the art and media communities. Project Muse also focuses

on more recent articles, which is important in finding the information surrounding A.I.

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

generation, a relatively modern invention. Studies that will be included might use terms like “AI

technology Copyright”, “AI Technology used in Art”, “AI in Media”, and “AI Art Generation”

in order to find secondary sources focusing on the relationship between the rise in A.I. and the

art and media industry, for example changes in copyright laws. Relevant studies will have to

include statistics and information about how AI technology interacts with the public and its

users. Information about ownership laws involving AI under different governments, or

examples of copyright cases involving AI art generation would also be included. Sources that

would not be included would include sources with strong biases toward or against AI and

sources that lack expert information or statistics. Sources will be grouped by those that show the

benefits of AI technology in the art and media field, and those that present the flaws or

drawbacks that the technology presents. Furthermore, there will be a focus on how AI

technology usage affects new and established creators and artists, as opposed

to the effect of AI in art and media on the public in general.

Statement of Significance

The creation of media that is completely original, illustrating masterful creativity of its maker, is

an art that has been around for centuries. Furthermore, AI entered this colorful field around

1956 (Shen & Yu 2021). The importance of originality in art and media only got more important

as laws were created to protect the creators of said masterpieces. The laws of copyright that

were made to prove an artist's ownership of their work are now being brought into question as

the rise of AI technology blurs the lines of originality and creativity. As new creators are able to

utilize AI to overcome their shortcomings and create, restore, generate, and much more with

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

the vast number of new opportunities that AI brings, established artists worry about the law

not protecting their work from technology that works by learning from their work with no

compensation. A better understanding of how AI art generation works can lead to a more

thorough understanding of what other unexplored opportunities AI still presents in the media

field. In addition, by exploring how established artist and ownership laws interact with AI art

generation, flaws in the system that regulates AI technology usage might become more evident,

As well as possible solutions. In finding a deeper understanding of how ownership laws in

different governments categorize AI generated media, and how these laws affect both artists who

use AI and those who don’t, it might be easier to find the best solution for both parties, and thus

more smoothly transition society into a new age of art and media.

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

References

Glavish, M. (2023, February 2).Can AI Violate Copyright? A New Lawsuit Argues Yes.

American Enterprise Institute – AEI. https:www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/can-

ai-violate-copyright-a-new-lawsuit-argues-yes/

Hugenholtz, P. B., & Quintais, J. P. (2021). Copyright and Artificial Creation: Does EU

Copyright Law Protect AI-Assisted Output?//C – international Review of Intellectual

Property and Competition Law. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40319-021-

01115-0

Shen, Y., & Yu, F. (2021). The Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Art Design in the Digital

Age. Scientific Programming, 2021, e4838957.https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/4838957

Roose, K. (2022, September 2). An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t

Happy. The New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-

Intelligence-artists.html

AI Can Create Art, but Can It Own Copyright in It, or Infringe? (n.d.). Www.lexisnexis.com.

https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/insights/legal/practical-guidance-journal/b/pa/posts/ai-

can-create-art-but-can-it-own-copyright-in-it-or-infringe

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals
English 1160: Writing and Research Proposal Template

Jossalyn G. Larson Adapted from TESOL Research’s “2016 TESOL Research Mini-Grant Proposals”
larsonjo@mst.edu https://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/research/call-for-research-proposals