After the interactive survey, I have run some of the prompts by the participants through a tool for AI art generation. Below are some examples.
Semi-structured interviews with some of the participants followed up, understanding more about their perception on AI-generated art. People were primarily being amazed, entertained and very curious about the AI art works.
“Wow, are you sure this has been produced by AI?”
“How has this actually happened? Can you share the details?”
“Can you show me how it’s being made?”
All of the interviewees started analysing the AI-art work – some were comparing and contrasting between their work and the AI-generated one. Some were analysing the potential ideas that stay behind the AI-work and how they were represented, wondering could the algorithm can actually go that deep? Discussing the meaning out load, most of the participants became aware of their own selves, guided just by minor questions on my side. Some of the sessions actually had a therapeutic effect (as shared by the participants), besides being entertaining and educational.
“This could easily be a created by a human. I can find ideas on multiple levels there.”
“Look at all these similarities. I actually can’t believe it. Have you showed the algorithm my drawing?”
“It’s so interesting – it makes me express what I am feeling now”
“Never before thought that I actually have all that understanding inside me. And look at that – it’s art by a machine.”
Some interviewees did feel alienated from some of the works – where shapes were not clearly defined and colours were either too bright or sharp.
“Not sure if I can clearly express it with words, but I can’t comprehend some of these pictures. They just don’t resemble anything I am used to. On some level they just don’t feel very real.”
I found a lot about the interviewees during these sessions, and all of them, when prompted again changed their answer to the question whether they would consume AI-generated art. At the end of each interview, it felt as if the participant was getting a bit closer to understanding the machine, but also – to understanding themselves.
The same happened to me – I came out of these interviews rather different. There was this urge to create.