AI “art”: creativity or compilation?

Abstract

This article proposes an approach for assessing the possibility of classifying paintings created by artificial intelligence as art and, accordingly, the process of their creation as artistic creativity. It is noted that, whilst many critics believe the development of AI technologies represents a new stage in the development of art, it raises a number of questions related to the interpretation of the concepts of art and creativity themselves, as well as the problems of consciousness research. It is shown that in recent decades, the notion of the brain as a universal computer has been subject to serious criticism. This has given rise to a number of alternative hypotheses and models that, at a new level, reproduce philosophical notions of the ontology of consciousness, particularly those found in the works of Russian philosophers representing the “metaphysics of all-unity”. These hypotheses assert the ontological openness of consciousness to a single ideal-material reality and, accordingly, creativity as a “breakthrough” into this reality. The conclusion is that artefacts created by artificial intelligence are not the result of genuine creativity, but rather compilations, somewhat comparable to the purely “craft” works of professionally trained but untalented artists. Overall, AI products can rightfully be classified as popular culture; however, they can be successfully used in various fields, including design, teaching, and a number of others.