One image on Twitter of the 1st Prize winner
A game designer has sparked controversy after submitting an image created by an AI text-to-image generator to a state art competition and taking home first prize.
An AI-generated artwork’s state fair victory fuels arguments over ‘what art is’
‘I’m not going to apologize for it,’ said the man who submitted the piece
Jason Allen entered the artwork titled “Theatre d’Opera Spatial” in the “Digital Arts / Digitally-Manipulated Photography” category of the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition but created the piece using a popular text-to-image AI generator named Midjourney.
A Twitter post describing Allen’s win went viral earlier this week (and was first covered by Vice). The post elicited a strong response, with many users claiming that Allen had been deceptive in submitting the piece, particularly as most of the public is unaware of how text-to-image AI generators work. Allen, though, has defended his actions.
“I wanted to make a statement using artificial intelligence artwork,” he told The Pueblo Chieftain. “I feel like I accomplished that, and I’m not going to apologize for it.” (The Verge contacted Allen via private message but received no response at time of publication.)
Text-to-image AI systems are trained on billions of pairs of images and text descriptions, which they mine for visual patterns. Users then feed them text descriptions known as prompts, and the software generates an image that matches this description based on its training data.
Although these systems have previously been the exclusive domain of well-funded tech companies like OpenAI and Google, they’ve become increasingly accessible in recent months. The system used by Allen, named Midjourney, is one of the most popular and known for its finely tuned aesthetics, which often mimic contemporary digital art styles.
Midjourney itself is accessible through a Discord server, where users (including Allen, who goes by the handle Sincarnate) show off their artwork and swap tips on how to improve their outputs. Allen posted on Discord that he had won the competition last Friday, saying: “I’ve set out to make a statement using Midjourney in a competitive manner and wow! I could not be more excited about having won with my favorite piece.”
Responses to Allen’s win, though, have been mixed, with many accusing him of deceiving the judges. From Allen’s description of his win, it seems that the fair’s judges were not fully aware of how the piece was created. Writing in the Midjourney Discord, Allen says the artwork’s “description clearly stated I created them via Midjourney,” but when another user asks if he explained what the software does, Allen replies, “Should I have explained what Midjourney was? If so, why?” eliciting face-palm emoji reactions from others in the chat.
Allen said he’s been telling people at the show that the piece is “digital art created using a.i. tools” and that he doesn’t need to explain what Midjourney is any more than a digital artist might explain how Adobe Illustrator works. He also emphasizes the work he put into creating the image — “I made the prompt, I fine tuned it for many weeks, curated all the images” — and adds that his Photoshop editing constituted “at least 10%” of the work.
The rules of the competition Allen entered describe his category only as “Artistic practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process.”
The denizens of Midjourney’s Discord have been debating the fairness of his actions. Users have praised the beauty of the artwork and Allen’s skill in its execution, but many suggested he should have been more upfront about the creation process. “I think most normies wouldn’t have chosen an AI picture to win if they knew,” said one user. “Just because it’s not mainstream and accepted yet.”
‘I’m not going to apologize for it,’ said the man who submitted the piece
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