Has AI Gone Too Far? The Fight for Real Art in a Synthetic World

A thought-provoking exploration of AI-generated creativity, questioning authenticity, artistry, and the growing tension between real talent and artificial production in today’s digital culture.

It's Ai

Outside of refining email structures, fixing grammar and punctuation, and the usual “write me a business plan based on this” prompts, the use of artificial intelligence to create people, those who exist, those who don’t, and those in between, is becoming suffocating. Can real creativity and artistry thrive in a society that is hell-bent on turning everything into an AI moment—one that no longer stands as a moment, but instead becomes a takeover?

There is a time and a place for everything, but AI should not be that time or place when it comes to producing “art” presented as authentic.

Sarel, a presenter and content creator, recently posted a video proclaiming that she will not work with brands that use AI to generate creative output. She urged brands to hire real artists and pay them real wages. While I agree with the sentiment, I couldn’t help but think about creatives who are just starting out, those with no budget, using whatever resources are available to build toward that ideal. Realistically, without a budget, your creativity should stretch even further because you’re forced to think outside the box. Using AI to fill that gap feels lazy, regardless of the level of skill it may take to create something that passes as human-made.

Then it came to the Met Gala, and quite frankly, this has been one of the best years for fashion, multiple looks that not only stayed true to the theme but absolutely demolished it. Yet, in the midst of admiring the real artistry of fashion, videos and photos began circulating of AI-generated people in fantasy looks on the Met carpet and it genuinely frustrated me.

Can nothing be left alone? How has it come to a point where you can no longer tell what’s real and what isn’t? And is that reality enough reason to step away from social media and start engaging with the world in real life only?