A new art exhibition in San Francisco showcases some of the unique ways that artists have begun to incorporate Dall-E 2, GPT-3 and other AI systems into their work -- efforts that go well beyond just typing some text and seeing what pops out. Why it matters: The exhibit, "Artificial Imagination," comes amid a broad debate over the legal and artistic merits of AI-created art, as well as concerns that more powerful computers could take jobs away from humans. "Artificial Imagination" includes a range of work, from videos to still images and sculpture. Between the lines: The artists and curators said the exhibition, believed to be the first of its kind, is an important recognition that AI art is indeed art. The big picture: The debut of Artificial Imagination comes as society is grappling with how to understand the advent of AI art on a variety of levels, from who owns the work to its impact on artists.

Recently, people have become increasingly annoyed about AI-generated art, but perhaps it is being viewed in the wrong way. Many of the disgruntled and angry claim that it is not real art, that it is low effort and merely copies the style of other artists and reuses images. It has been banned from certain fan community groups too: The Guardian reported last week that a Dune subreddit had banned AI-generated art for being'low effort'. In August 2022, an artwork created by Jason Allen using the AI tool Midjourney, titled Théâtre D'opéra Spatial, won first prize in the digital art category at the Colorado State Fair. This has been widely controversial, with people outraged that an AI program could win such a competition.

As AI art generators take the world by storm, some people wonder if it should count as art at all. The technology is still evolving and has some wrinkles to iron out, which means there are indeed flaws to consider alongside the incredible artwork a good artificial intelligence can produce. Let's explore the issue by breaking down the definition of art and whether or not AI-based work fits within that umbrella. Starting with the etymology of the word, Merriam-Webster's definition states that "art" stems from the Latin word "ars", which means, among other things, acquired skill, craftsmanship, and artistic achievement. Today, there's little consensus between philosophers and artists as to what real art is.

I am bad at painting but I do treasure and respect the art created by people hundreds of years ago. What is the difference between Leonardo Da Vinci and you? That may not be easy to answer, so, let me change the perspective. What is the difference between the paintings created by Da Vinci and you? The answer is probably a lot.