The question of whether artificial intelligence will replace artists is a very hot topic right now in the art world. And here at Draco Studios we felt it very important to let our community and our creators know what our stance is on it.
The short answer is no. Our worlds of Dragonbond, Eldritch Century and Creature Kingdoms will always be made through the passion of our people, through human creativity.
But, if you’re wondering what on earth all the fuss is about, read on for a quick rundown of what ai art is, why some people think it may replace human artists and our deep reasons for not adopting it. (Oh, and there are also some really cool pictures from Draco’s immensely talented artists to drool over!)
What are AI Art Generators?
Art created by AI art generators has become both very sophisticated and very difficult to detect. There are a few different generators out there but they all work in a similar way.
The programs have been ‘trained’ using a combination of machine learning and the input of millions of images with accompanying text descriptions.
As a result of this, the user can instruct an AI art generator through simple natural text descriptions (not code) to get the image they want. Various versions are generated by the AI, and these can be further tweaked in the program by the user.
One of the most well-known AI art generators is DALL-E (see what they did there?) by OpenAI – the same organization behind the now famous ChatGPT chatbot.
DALL-E is a program that works through a process known as diffusion. It starts with a pattern of random dots that is altered gradually into the form of an image.
If this is new to you, then take a look for yourself. The video in the link explains the process very well, and the danger to the livelihoods of human artists is frightening.
Not only can DALL-E create original images, using a term called ‘inpainting’ it can also expand existing images as well as edit images allowing the addition and removal of elements while still retaining correct lighting and shadows. Clever stuff, no doubt.
But, as impressive as the technology and coding that sits beneath the AI art generators is, artificial intelligence can only ever create just that – artificial images.
It doesn’t matter how intelligent it is (or how intelligent it becomes), artificial intelligence will never truly be able to follow a creative decision making process. And that’s something we at Draco Studios greatly value.
Is AI Generated Art Likely to Replace Human Art?
If you’ve had a play with the example in the link above you’ll see that the AI generated results are very impressive. And the images are so much faster to produce than they would be for a human artist. The cost attraction for businesses is obvious.
Both real life ‘photographs’ and paintings can be generated, and users can even reference an artist style that they’d like the image to match. As long as the program has an image associated with an appropriate label, it can then generate an image from that text instruction. Mona Lisa with a mohawk in the style of Picasso, for example.
But despite that powerful artificial intelligence and speed, what the generators can’t do is use imagination and emotion to create something that can really be classed as art. The creative spark that exists in humans can never be replaced by technical algorithms.
The interpretation of rich fantasy worlds such as Rhaava to create unique and wonderful artworks can only really be done in a truly genuine way by humans.
Other businesses will decide where they sit on this issue, but for Draco Studios, AI art will never replace human artists.
Only Human Artists Bring True Creativity
At Draco we pride ourselves on the passion of our creators, be they wordsmiths, game designers or visual wizards.
Human created art (be that traditional or digital art) is a crucial part of this creative process, and we value the artistic creativity that brings our worlds and its characters and creatures to life.
We believe that only human beings can follow a true artistic and creative decision making process. Artificial intelligence is never going to be able to create art, not truly. As clever as they are, AI art generators do just that – they generate. Only a human artist can create art.
Here are some fantastic examples of art from our worlds that have been created by the imagination, talent and passion of our artists and art direction team.
Will AI art replace artists at Draco Studios? – Wrap-up
Human creativity will always be at the heart of every creative process and everything we produce.
The thought of AI replacing artists in creative industries like board gaming, with boxed games and rulebooks packed full of AI generated art is thoroughly depressing.
Draco Studios remains committed to creating quality products designed with passion. Not with AI.
If you want to see some beautiful examples of the stunning artwork that has helped to bring our Dragonbond universe to life, download the free pdf Dragonbond: Valerna – An Introduction.
To see even more of the fantastic examples of art Draco’s human creators have made head over to our Instagram account and drool…