The Work of Art in the Age of Automated Creativity: On the autonomy of AI art
The Work of Art in the Age of Automated Creativity: On the autonomy of AI art

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the evolving notion of aesthetic auto-nomy in the context of AI-generated art, proposing threecentral arguments. First, it revisits Nicholas Brown’s theoryof artistic autonomy, suggesting that AI art can achievea form of autonomy through the interaction of structuredprompts and neural network processes, without necessitatingdirect human intention. Second, it introduces a frameworkviewing AI-generated artworks as “epistemic consumptionobjects,” whose unpredictability introduces new aestheticdimensions that operate independently of conventionalcommodity relations. Third, the paper discusses a novelapproach to collective interpretation of AI art, drawingcomparisons with the Surrealist tradition and suggesting thatAI may function as an “alien unconscious” fostering uniqueinterpretative opportunities. Through analysis of worksgenerated by DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, this study arguesthat AI art contributes to a renewed understanding of artisticintention and autonomy, encouraging a reassessment of theseconcepts within contemporary digital culture.

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