Creation Without Creativity

Decentering Machine Aesthetics

Abstract

Written from the perspective of visual artists grappling with the histories and futurities of technology, the authors explore the intricate relationship between creativity, Generative AI, and human-machine collaboration. Through text and images, the authors examine the blurred lines of authorship in AI-generated art, posing questions about identity and authority. To consider Gen AI's role in human-AI collaboration, references span historical perspectives from Plato to the avant-garde and the more recent development of AI “spawn” as digital companions. Highlighting the challenges of aesthetics in the absence of embodied experience, ethical and metaphysical queries arising from AI-driven developments are emphasized, as is the impact of AI on creativity and our understanding of the world and self.