Artists, AI, and the Artistic Process

Abstract—This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the artistic processes from the perspectives of young artists. Through twenty-three semi-structured interviews with art institute students, this study contributes to the ongoing discussion surrounding AI in the creative industry. The study moves beyond the binary debates surrounding AI's destruction and enhancement capabilities, highlighting the needs for an artists-centric, process-centric form of AI. This study develops a deeper understanding of the artistic process; highlights the potential and limitations of AI; discusses the uncertainty faced by artists; and suggests AI's future role in shaping the art industry. The study first differentiates the artistic process into that of the conceptualization phase, characterized by its freeform creativity, and the execution phase, characterized by its attention to detail and techniques. It then discusses AI's limitations with respect to the two phases, and lays out young artists' concerns and uncertainties surrounding AI. Lastly, the study emphasizes the need for AI to adapt to the artistic process, a necessary change for AI to enhance artists' creative endeavors.