For Riley Prescott, tattooing isn’t just a job — it’s an art form. He uses his skills, drawing up designs upon the requests of his clients, then moving to the studio to practice and make permanent, artistic modifications to people’s bodies.
Prescott, a tattoo apprentice at Good Vibes Tattoo Studio in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has a fear though — one that is shared by many artists and creatives alike — that his job could fall victim to generative AI’s takeover.
“Before, being able to draw was a non-negotiable, but now if a tattooer wants to make a stencil for a whole back piece, all they have to do is a little trial and error with a few prompts,” Prescott said.
Anna Cobb, a sophomore majoring in graphic design, said she does not use AI in her creative process, but has seen generative AI take over various forms of art, including ones she said require years of skill and training such as illustration and page design.
“I’ve spent pretty much my whole life, a little on and off, dedicating myself to art, because I just find it really enjoyable,” she said. “It’s fascinating how quickly people latched on to the idea of being able to achieve a finished product so quickly and without the skill barrier.”
An article from Scientific American found that when people judge and interpret AI generated art, they perceived the results as “less morally acceptable” if they were conscious of how generative AI models were trained, usually by using human art and visual descriptors.
There has been major controversy surrounding the ethical and legal practices of generative AI companies, especially in regards to using human crafted art to train these models. However, in early March, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case about copyrighting for AI generated art, keeping the decision of a lower court which ruled “human authorship” is required for art to be protected by copyright laws.
“It makes me uncomfortable to post my work, because then I’m like, ‘Oh, this is just going to be summarized and I’ve made less than the value that I’ve given to my pieces by pouring so much time and effort into them,’” said Lillie Ann Porter, a freshman majoring in business, who primarily does watercolor art.
As generative AI companies continue to improve functionality and skills of their AI models, Cobb says more people will start to stand up against sustained use for creative purposes.
“I think people are coming around to realize that AI is not as good as human people who know how to execute these functions in a good way,” Cobb said. “I think the bubble’s gonna burst, and people will kind of revert back to how we were before, but that’s kind of hopeful.”
This sentiment was echoed by Porter, who is currently working on a watercolor painting that she called “Pond Life.” The piece is based on The University of Alabama’s animals and ecosystems, to remind people of what she says AI puts at risk.
“It was half inspired by all the animals I’ve seen and half inspired by hearing all the waste stories from what these data centers are doing,” she said. “These are the things that we’re sacrificing to make life slightly easier. Is it worth it?”
While generative AI continues to grow, other forms of AI may be able to help artists with other tasks. Prescott said he recognizes the benefits of using AI to increase efficiencies within the business side of things but wants to retain the sanctity of the artform, keeping the AI out of the designing process.
“Sometimes I like to use it for responding to clients because I want to avoid over explaining and confusing them,” he said. “I keep it out of my design process. Every piece I work on is a new opportunity for learning and growth.”
All three artists said that they would not be using generative AI at all in their artistic processes going forward.
“AI has been so prominent so I knew I needed to go the other way, back to nature,” Porter said. “It gave me a reason to paint and it’s because I’m frustrated.”
“I wouldn’t trade design for convenience. I think that would ruin the magic,” Prescott said.
“I think we all have to stay hopeful, because there has to be people who dream of a better future, and I think artists play such a vital role in that,” Cobb said.
