ART MADE BY A COMPUTER, HOW DOES THIS WORK?
There are many different tools on the internet that you can use to create AI-generated art. The origin of this tool lies with DeepDream, a program developed by Google. When Russian IT specialist Alexander Mordvintsev’s had a nightmare in 2015, he decided in the middle of the night to start his experiment to create a network that could add certain details to an existing photo. He found it so interesting that he went deeper into it. When Alexander started working at Google, he first came into contact with Convolutional neural networks (ConvNets). The DeepDream program was originally created to get a better idea of how ConvNets work. During his time at Google, Alexander discovered that a computer is capable of creating a real work of art, purely based on algorithms. This network is able to recognize patterns and objects in data. Considering how far these ConvNets are compared to a brain, this can roughly be compared to the brain of a mouse. To train such a ConvNet you feed it with millions of images so that it can eventually even distinguish a dog breed.
Colab is another tool made by Google that can create AI-generated art. This is by means of words that describe the photo. In addition, there are many other tools where you can also upload your own photo and attach a certain style to it by linking this photo to another photo with a certain style.
To give a clearer picture of this, we have an example of both cases. We have used the photo shown below as the base photo on DeepDream. So, this becomes the base of the photo, to which a pattern or texture is added later.
The second step on DeepDream is to choose a style of photography. Here you can use a photo in which you like the style, the colors or the pattern. As an example, we have used the following photo:
In the last step, you press the button and DeepDream combines the two images as your final work. Resulting in the following work of art:
Another form of generating AI art is through the use of words. Here you describe what you would like to see in the artwork. The tool we used for this is Google Colab Research.
The following words have been used for the photo below: ‘Gobsmacked in a cyberpunk world’
WHAT CAN AI-GENERATED ART DO FOR YOUR BRAND?
Although AI-generated art is still little used, this form of art can certainly be valuable for your brand. AI-generated art can be used to create unique social content, among other things. During a brainstorming session, AI-generated art cannot be an unnecessary luxury. Imagine, you are looking for a unique idea / story or you want something that connects the lines. Then AI-generated art can help you. You can be inspired by everything that comes from AI-generated art, often these are works of art that there is a good chance that you have never seen before. Think outside the box and be inspired by all the output the computer gives you.ou only have to adjust a word, sentence, or piece of text and the entire artwork is different.
There are many different free tools that you can use. So dive deeper into that and see which tool works for you. To help you on your way, we have a list of five free AI-generated art tools:
BMW AND AI-GENERATED ART
Despite the fact that this technique is still in its infancy, we see that certain brands are already experimenting with it. BMW has already responded well to this trend. BMW has devoted an entire campaign to AI-generated art. The campaign is called: ‘THE 8: artificial intelligence turns car into digital artwork. This campaign shows the BMW series 8 with all kinds of different patterns created through AI-generated art. This is with the underlying idea that the BMW series 8 can be a real work of art.
AI-GENERATED ART FOR NEW PRODUCT VARIATIONS
Although we have mainly talked about art generated with this tool, there are many more possibilities. Take a look at the example below, which looks at the rear of the new Audi A6 Avant e-tron. This photo was taken by DALLE-2, an AI generator, using the terms below. You can see that different variations of this model have been generated through AI-generated art. This is also an entry point for brands when they want to launch new products or when they are brainstorming for new variations on a certain product.
WILL AI-GENERATED ART SURPASS TRADITIONAL ART?
There are futurists who claim that AI-driven tools will soon be responsible for all creations, and will even transcend traditional art. Would designers really be out of work in the future? And would the famous grandmasters of yesteryear really be forgotten by this development? We know for sure that we don’t do anything, but we certainly have a vision.
The famous mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Sir Roger Penrose believes that “consciousness does not compute”. He argues that our physical laws are not sufficient to explain human consciousness.
We too are impressed by the magnificent uniqueness of the human brain and its creative fruits. And that as powerful as AI may become in the future, it cannot at a fundamental level replace the unquantifiable magic of the human brain. Where Sir Penrose approaches it scientifically, our vision is mainly philosophical with a touch of spirituality.
We see AI-generated art primarily as something that can give a new dimension to the creative fruits of people but will never have the intrinsic, everlasting magic and value of a work of art when it is a ‘standalone’ AI creation without human input.
Nevertheless, art is often also a, ‘what the hell gives the story’, so undoubtedly, we will see many bizarre amounts for AI-generated works of art. You can already see it in the NFT world, where big money is paid for generated images.
Despite the fact that we are in love with human creativity and look at brands that way, for example, we do use new technology to make our creations stronger and more effective. For example, we use an AI-based eye tracking tool to test different versions of designs or videos and determine whether our creations actually do what they are intended for.
What a time to be alive.
Our video editor / content designer Remi has completely dived into AI-generated art, he follows a number of cool AI artists on Instagram for inspiration and keeps an eye on all new tools. Remi certainly sees opportunities for AI-generated art, he thinks that these tools can be used for concept art or brainstorming sessions. Would you like to spar about the subject of AI-generated art or are you curious about other possibilities for your brand?
