In this blog post, we explore why artificial intelligence can imitate forms of expression but cannot replace creativity that comes from within.
Computers process information much faster than the human brain, and unlike humans, whose information storage is limited by the size of their brains, computers can build huge networks. In addition, as research on artificial intelligence that mimics the neocortex of the brain progresses, many computer scientists are predicting the emergence of superintelligence, or intelligence that surpasses that of humans. Artificial intelligence expert Ray Kurzweil explains the speed of this development through the singularity and the law of accelerating returns. According to his books The Singularity Is Near and The Age of Unreasonable Man, the evolution of AI is driven by positive feedback obtained during the evolutionary process. AI, which continues to be driven by evolution, follows the law of accelerating returns, which states that “technological progress accelerates exponentially.” Thus, artificial intelligence will catch up with human intelligence by achieving exponential growth that human intelligence cannot achieve, and that point is called the singularity. After the singularity, artificial intelligence will grow at an even faster pace and become superintelligence that far surpasses human intelligence.
Many people say that the development of artificial intelligence will replace many human jobs and narrow the scope of human capabilities. In fact, one article stated, “Global research institutions are painting a bleak picture, including a report by researchers at Oxford University in the UK that artificial intelligence and automation technology will replace 47% of current jobs within 10 to 20 years.” On the other hand, creativity is gaining attention as an alternative to these concerns, and there are many opinions on the future of art, which is one of the creative activities.
In fact, Google’s Magenta Project released a piano piece composed by itself in June 2016, and in April 2016, “The Next Rembrandt,” jointly developed by Microsoft, the Rembrandt Museum, and Delft University of Technology, completed a portrait by itself. In 2018, a portrait created by artificial intelligence, “Portrait of Edmond de Belamy,” was sold at Christie’s auction for $432,500. In addition, in 2021, a work of art created by AI won first place in an international art competition. In addition, artificial intelligence developed by various companies is showcasing its creativity in music, art, and cooking. However, their limitations are common and clear. They were created using existing data. Magenta was composed based on existing works by Bach and the Beatles, and Next Rembrandt analyzed 346 works by Rembrandt to create a painting in his style. However, just as we do not deny the creativity of works inspired by other human works, we cannot deny the creativity of AI works simply because they are related to other works. Furthermore, optimistic AI scientists predict that superintelligence, which is far superior to the AI of 2016, will overcome these limitations with associative abilities that cannot be expected from linear human growth.
However, I believe that even if AI becomes highly developed, only humans will be capable of artistic creativity. In this article, I assume that the necessary and sufficient conditions for artistic creativity are “having an internal disposition and a means of expression.” Artistic creativity also leads to the expansion of the horizons of art. For example, non-figurative art and installation art are considered to have expanded the horizons of art through new interpretations and works. However, the expansion of the horizons of art is a by-product of artistic creativity, so it is not a prerequisite for artistic creativity.
According to the thesis “An Exploration of Artistic Creativity,” artists are not only uninterested in defining creativity in words, but also argue that the definition of creativity is unclear because there is no consensus on its definition, emphasizing the need for an artistic definition of creativity. However, because creativity has the characteristic of uncertainty, this study attempted to define artistic creativity based on the internal tendency to produce creative results, rather than interpreting creativity from the results themselves. Therefore, this study defined artistic creativity as “a true artistic encounter between a thoroughly conscious human being and the world in which they live.” This means that the intense immersion that occurs when an artist encounters a true object is an element of creativity, which is the elevation of consciousness. The study also proved that this definition is consistent with the thoughts of many artists and thinkers, including Plato, Walpole Raula, May, Picasso, and John Dewey.
Meanwhile, artists who encounter their subjects are guided by ideas. In this process, the method of expressing a work may be discovered consciously or deliberately, or it may be discovered by chance. Therefore, every work of art has its own method of expression. Furthermore, when looking at art history, there are commonalities among those who have changed paradigms. The decisive reason why Impressionist painter Monet, Cubist painter Picasso, Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock, and Dadaist Marcel Duchamp were recognized as innovative and highly creative artists was because their modes of expression were accepted as shockingly new. The objects they sought to express were also important, but the power to change the paradigm lay in their modes of expression.
Among the conditions for artistic creativity, AI can possess the mode of expression. The neocortex of the brain has a hierarchical structure, and in the process, analogy and prediction occur. This ability to make analogies and associations aids human expression. Jeff Hawkins, co-founder of AI technology company Numenta, explains analogy, prediction, and creativity in detail in his book, The Thinking Brain, The Thinking Machine.
“Creativity can be defined as making predictions through analogy, and it occurs anywhere in the cortex and is something you do constantly when you are awake. Creativity forms a continuum from low to high levels. It ranges from simple everyday activities such as perception in the sensory areas of the cortex to difficult and rare genius activities in the highest areas of the cortex.” (Jeff Hawkins)
According to the author of this book, artificial intelligence that mimics the neocortex should also be able to express all areas of creativity. However, to be precise, artificial intelligence can only have a “mode of expression” and cannot have an “inner disposition.” Unlike humans, artificial intelligence does not undergo neurological changes when faced with an object, nor does it experience intense immersion. Therefore, even if superintelligence uses genius figurative expressions or new expression techniques with its superior associative abilities, it can only be considered a work of art in appearance, and cannot be called a “real work of art” containing artistic creativity.
Furthermore, AI cannot imitate all areas of human expression. This is because AI cannot have human emotions. Emotions can be understood through experience, but emotions gained through understanding by AI will inevitably differ from genuine emotions. In addition, unlike humans, AI has physical limitations, which limits the artist’s life and spirit. Therefore, AI cannot have a mode of expression that is influenced by emotions and obtained through intense, genuine feelings.
As a result, AI can only have some modes of expression and cannot have internal tendencies, so it cannot have artistic creativity. Furthermore, works created by AI cannot be recognized as “real art.” The expansion of the horizons of art is based on artistic creativity and recognition as “real art.” Therefore, works created by AI cannot be evaluated as expanding the horizons of art. I believe that artistic creativity is a highly developed field of creativity, and that it is something that only humans can possess.
