The hottest AI Art Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Art & Illustration Topics

A Simple Rule for Using AI in Art

Counter Craft • 421 implied HN points • 08 Jun 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual Arts Literature AI Art Creative Process Ethics
  1. Using AI in art can be great if it's done thoughtfully. It's important to be open about how AI is used and ensure it enhances rather than replaces creativity.
  2. There are successful examples of authors using AI to help craft dialogue or ideas, but they are intentional and clear about their AI use. This distinction separates meaningful art from low-quality outputs.
  3. For artistic integrity, it's best to be honest about your use of AI, especially if it generates a lot of the work. Just like with plagiarism, taking someone else's work, including AI-generated text, without credit is not acceptable.

How Did You Do On The AI Art Turing Test?

Astral Codex Ten • 25259 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Art Appreciation Digital Art
  1. Many people struggle to tell the difference between AI-generated art and human-created art. Most scored just slightly above random guessing on a test designed to distinguish between the two.
  2. Participants often judged art based on its style rather than its origin. People tended to think that certain styles, like Impressionism, had to be human even when they were AI-created.
  3. Surprisingly, more people preferred AI art over human art, with many claiming they disliked AI art but still choosing AI pieces as their favorites.

AI Art Turing Test

Astral Codex Ten • 10048 implied HN points • 14 Oct 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Art AI Art Visual Culture Art Criticism Interactive art
  1. There's an AI Art Turing Test happening, which is a fun way to see if you can tell the difference between AI-generated art and human-made art.
  2. Participants can take part by filling out a form, which takes about twenty minutes, and the results will be shared the following week.
  3. Don't peek at the comments until you're done with the test, as they might give away answers.

The Definitive Handbook For Spotting AI Art

The Algorithmic Bridge • 265 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art history AI Art Visual Culture Art Critique Creative Process
  1. Art has two layers: a visible surface like colors and shapes, and a hidden layer that includes history and culture. AI art usually lacks this deeper meaning.
  2. People often struggle to tell AI art from human-made art because they focus only on the surface. They can learn to spot AI art by asking if it has that deeper history and consistency.
  3. Human creativity is stronger because it connects to real experiences and truths. AI can mimic but it doesn't understand the world or the meaning behind art.

The Greatest Piece of AI Art

Marginally Compelling • 24 implied HN points • 29 May 25
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Contemporary Art Cultural Commentary Art history Digital Art
  1. AI can be a helpful tool for speeding up creative projects and making art, but it also raises big questions about our future.
  2. One important AI art piece is a completion of Keith Haring's unfinished work, which reveals deeper messages about art and technology.
  3. This artwork makes us think about our relationship with AI and what we value in art and creativity.
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ART: Midnight on Mars

So Here’s a Thing • 1573 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Visual storytelling
  1. The featured AI-tinged images in the announced Substack post provide a glimpse into the world of pastel retro-futurism art on social media.
  2. AI art sparks a discussion similar to digital art in the 1990s, where it can be a tool for artists to bring visions to life rather than an entity of great intrinsic value.
  3. The art pieces evoke a sense of capturing Ray Bradbury's mind after a night of adventures with David Bowie, creating a unique and vivid aesthetic.

Bursting the Conservative Bubble

Break Free with Karen Hunt • 1218 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🏥 Health Politics Gender identity Youth AI Art
  1. Conservatives boycotting companies for promoting the transgender agenda may not be effective as the focus is on influencing the younger Generation Z.
  2. Boycotting a few companies may not be enough to stop the transgender agenda that is progressing towards a future where AI and technology dominate.
  3. Young people are increasingly embracing fluid gender identities and diverse pronouns, reflecting the evolving societal norms.

AI images litter the internet

Wood From Eden • 528 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Visual storytelling
  1. AI-generated images are becoming prevalent on the internet, but their superficiality can hinder deeper meaning and understanding.
  2. The proliferation of AI images can crowd out images of real people and places, which traditionally provide more valuable information and opportunities for discovery.
  3. In a digital age where sharing reality is crucial, efforts should be made to prioritize genuine, real-world images over AI-generated ones to maintain authenticity and meaning.

What's Imagination For, Anyway?

Cybernetic Forests • 279 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Technology AI Art Critique Ethics Community
  1. Art can either sell systems of power or support technocracy, highlighting the importance of using art to question and challenge technology rather than serve as a tool for propping up power.
  2. Imagination is often linked with AI, but it's crucial to move beyond speculative thinking to consider the real impacts and consequences of AI on our world today.
  3. Artists, when working with and against technology, can play a role in subverting and challenging powerful systems by acting as parasites, critiquing and revealing flaws instead of just showcasing technological prowess.

Swimming in the Tensions

Cybernetic Forests • 199 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Archives Data Cultural Diversity Ethics
  1. When creating images with AI, we are essentially building data visualizations based on training data, and this can lead to reproducing stereotypes found in the training data.
  2. Archives, like Wikimedia Commons, require curation and community engagement to ensure responsible and equitable representation in AI training datasets.
  3. There is a need to recognize the cultural and emotional value of images and data, and to approach AI training data as more than just facts, but as part of a larger social and cultural fabric.

TITAA #50: Slow Grey Mares Stuck at Exit 8

Things I Think Are Awesome • 196 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Folklore AI Art Animation VR Poetry
  1. The post discusses the Welsh tradition of Mari Lwyd, a skeletal horse pranking people during New Year's Eve.
  2. Mari Lwyd is associated with village mummers in south Wales in the 1800s and is constructed of a horse's skull and a white sheet.
  3. The post also covers various AI art tools, including an AI animation artist called NiceAunties and AI-generated SVG from images.

Creating Personality w/ Math, Visions of Destruction, and Blender with Voice

Generative Arts Collective • 79 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative Art Creative Coding Digital Art Interactive art AI Art
  1. You can create unique snowflake designs using a website that generates them. It's fun to play around with the designs and save your favorites as SVG files.
  2. Generative AI is being used in interactive art to create experiences that change based on audience interaction. This can highlight important issues like environmental damage.
  3. Using voice commands to control software like Blender shows how technology can make creative tools more accessible, allowing for new and exciting ways to interact with art and design.

How Midjourney Reads a Mugshot

Cybernetic Forests • 239 implied HN points • 27 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art
  1. Generative AI and Donald Trump's mugshot show how media signals and internet metrics influence image generation, highlighting the impact of feedback loops on visual media.
  2. Midjourney's prompts reveal how AI interprets and categorizes images based on stylistic markers like Sumatraism, showcasing a blend of aesthetic information and stereotypes.
  3. Algorithmic Hauntology warns about the dangers of automated pattern analysis rooted in biased archives, emphasizing the need to approach AI predictions and data processing with caution and awareness of historical influences.

Notes from what I guess counts as the bleeding edge of artistic possibility these days

RUINS • 137 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Fine Art Surrealism Creative Process
  1. AI art generators are advancing rapidly, with the ability to interpret text prompts and produce diverse imagery.
  2. There is a contrast between AI-generated art and human art in terms of process, risks, and meaning.
  3. The role of AI in art creation is debated, questioning whether it should supplement or replace human creativity.

Here's How I Made This Image With Midjourney

diabolical • 98 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art
  1. The image was created using the AI program Midjourney with many variations of prompts.
  2. The process involved choosing different paths and styles to generate the final image.
  3. Each pan or zoom action led to new image possibilities, showcasing the infinite creative options from a single prompt.

A Generative Year: 2023

Cybernetic Forests • 119 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Tech Policy Music Documentary Exhibition
  1. Subscribers to the newsletter tripled this year, showing growth and increased interest in the content.
  2. The author created and taught a course on AI Images, which was referenced by other educational institutions, showcasing influence in the field.
  3. The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group presented at the DEFCON 31 AI Village, demonstrating involvement in cutting-edge AI art and research.

TITAA #45: Haunted AI Houses Need Poets

Things I Think Are Awesome • 176 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Poetry Animation Virtual reality Gaming
  1. AI-run haunted houses in literature often present intriguing narratives and questions about space and identity.
  2. Poets and writers can explore unreal architectures and dream-like spaces created by AI tools to tell unique and engaging stories.
  3. Exploring the intersection of AI, art, and poetry can lead to the creation of cosmic narratives within the digital labyrinth.

Sarah Palin Forever

Cybernetic Forests • 159 implied HN points • 23 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Cinema Deepfakes
  1. The story 'Sarah Palin Forever' explores the impact of political environments and media ecosystems on shaping identities.
  2. The concept of deepfakes and how they can be used as tools for satire and storytelling is discussed.
  3. The power of images and words in media is highlighted, emphasizing how narratives shape our perceptions and understandings.

TITAA #42.5: Old Haiku Meet New AI

Things I Think Are Awesome • 157 implied HN points • 14 May 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art
  1. The project combines old haiku poetry with new AI technology to create multimedia experiences.
  2. The haiku illustrations include AI-generated letters, music, and video clips, focusing on the atmosphere and emotions of the poems.
  3. The project showcases the challenges and creativity involved in using AI models to generate visuals and music based on poetry prompts.

What was the GAN?

Cybernetic Forests • 119 implied HN points • 26 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Collage
  1. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were innovative in AI art, generating images based on existing datasets and patterns.
  2. Artists using GANs had more control over their datasets, shaping the outputs with their own images and deciding what to include, unlike modern Diffusion models.
  3. Training and working with GANs was an experimental process, where artists had to understand the algorithm's perspective and engage in a technical dialogue to create art.

The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group (ARRG!)

Cybernetic Forests • 139 implied HN points • 13 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Digital Art Generative AI
  1. The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group (ARRG!) focuses on critiquing and analyzing AI systems, highlighting issues like data rights, stereotypes in AI output, ecological harms, political risks, and the impact of red teaming.
  2. ARPG! highlights the importance of challenging the logic of AI systems to avoid exploiting stereotypes, artist data rights, and push back against automated cultural production.
  3. Research showcased the use of Gaussian Noise Diffusion Loop to create abstract art, challenge content moderation tools, and explore the dynamics of AI-generated imagery.

Ideologies of Awe & AI Art at the MoMA

Cybernetic Forests • 119 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Data Visualization
  1. Refik Anadol's 'Unsupervised' art at the MoMA uses AI to visualize the MoMA's art archives in a unique way, offering a new perspective on data analytics and art
  2. Anadol's art piece juxtaposes the complexity and mystique of AI systems with the potential for human understanding and engagement, sparking discussions on the implications of AI in art and society
  3. Alternative models of AI art, like 'Anatomy of an AI System' and 'What Models Make Worlds', present critical perspectives that question the power dynamics and ethical implications of AI, contrasting with the awe-inspiring presentation of AI in Anadol's work

In Defense of Human Senses

Cybernetic Forests • 119 implied HN points • 30 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Human experience Data Analysis AI Art
  1. Human perception of images is deeply intertwined with personal experiences and emotions, shaping how images are interpreted and associated with memories.
  2. Creating art involves a fusion of individual lived experiences and learned skills over time, contrasting with the quick generation of images by AI devoid of personal experiences.
  3. AI images are structured based on categories and datasets, emphasizing the need for artists to negotiate these categories and infuse individualized interpretations into the process.

AI Art: Frankenstein's New Monster

Litverse • 79 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Visual art Creativity Ethics Media
  1. The process of creating art with AI can be a mix of excitement and uncertainty, similar to Frankenstein's creation of his monster.
  2. Artists are facing a new age of AI technology and must adapt to the changes it brings, even if it sparks fear and ethical concerns.
  3. Utilizing AI in art could be a way to reach more people and make impactful creations, but it also presents challenges in maintaining human connection and relevance.

Daniel Felstead & Jenn Leung: "Literally No Place" on Dis.art

Do Not Research • 99 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Art AI Art Experimental Art
  1. Explore the intersection of AI technology and human society through Daniel Felstead & Jenn Leung's project 'Literally No Place' on Dis.art.
  2. Consider the diverse range of futures AI technology could bring, from a post-scarcity society to potential human extinction.
  3. Reflect on the different perspectives presented in the project before forming a stance on AI's impact on society.

It's hard to make art with AI, but it's not impossible

ART⋂CODE • 13 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Creative Process Digital Art
  1. Making art with AI can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. The key is finding a way to express your personal vision through the tools.
  2. Using AI might streamline the creative process, but it can also make it harder to put your unique voice into the work. You need to find a way to infuse your style into what AI generates.
  3. Art is not just about making choices; it's about a deeper connection between the artist and their medium. Embracing this relationship can lead to more meaningful creations.

What I’ve Been Reading This Year

Cybernetic Forests • 139 implied HN points • 18 Dec 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Data Bias Creative Process Social Commentary
  1. Reflection on the problems and implications of AI-based image generation in art
  2. Consideration of the origin and context of AI training data, highlighting issues like exploitation and biases
  3. Exploration of rethinking AI images as material for artistic expression, and the importance of artists reclaiming agency over these tools and the images they create

A Short Note on Subscriptions

Cybernetic Forests • 59 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative Art AI Art
  1. The author is offering a special promotion for readers to support their newsletter with a $1.00 monthly donation until September 1st.
  2. The newsletter includes interviews with new media artists, explorations of generative art practices, examinations of generative AI, and historicizing cybernetic and generative art work.
  3. Readers are encouraged to support the newsletter with financial contributions or by sharing it with others who might appreciate its content.

Artt in the Age of Artifficial Intelligence

Donkeyspace • 18 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Contemporary Art AI Art Art Theory Art Criticism Visual Culture
  1. Art is not just pretty pictures; it's a project deeply connected to its context and history. Each piece of art tells a story influenced by the time and place it was created.
  2. Many people struggle with modern and contemporary art because they don't want to engage with the complicated ideas behind it. They just want nice visuals to enjoy without any deep thinking.
  3. The relationship between art and public taste can be messy. People may like things not because they are genuinely good, but because they want to fit in or impress others.

A Brief History of Static

Cybernetic Forests • 59 implied HN points • 29 Jan 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Data Visualization Digital Art
  1. Refik Anadol's AI art piece, 'Unsupervised,' at MoMA uses AI to interpret and reimagine the history of modern art, creating a mesh of pixelated visuals.
  2. Interpolation in AI refers to filling in the gaps between data points or images, creating a smooth transition and possible new variations.
  3. The concept of interpolation extends to creating a connection and kinship between disparate entities in an artistic representation, showcasing the latent possibilities in the in-between spaces.

A Generative Week

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Generative Art Artificial Intelligence Visualization Experimental Art
  1. Eryk Salvaggio will be a guest on BBC 4's _Digital Humans_ radio show discussing creativity and automation in AI art
  2. Sensitive Noise is an AI-generated artwork exploring content moderation and human sensuality through censored images
  3. Apply for STORY x CODE, a residency program focusing on AI and Machine Learning in storytelling, filmmaking, and animation

Art(ist) in the Machine

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Artificial Intelligence Visual art Digital Art
  1. The MoMA displayed an artwork called "Unsupervised" by artist Refik Anadol, which uses AI to create constantly changing images based on data from 180,000 artworks and real-time external factors.
  2. Anadol's AI artwork, while technically impressive, lacks the depth and connection to traditional art that keeps viewers engaged and leaves them feeling unfulfilled.
  3. The comparison between Anadol's AI artwork and a traditional piece like Rothko's painting highlights the importance of human creativity and emotion in art that AI may struggle to replicate.

DALLE, AARON, Kata: Strategies for Legibility

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 28 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Image Synthesis Creative Process
  1. Harold Cohen developed AARON in the 1970s, an AI program that co-created art with him, showcasing a unique relationship between the artist and the machine.
  2. Artists can infuse their spirit into tools and images, as seen in the Japanese textile tradition, emphasizing purpose and repetitive practice.
  3. Strategies for artist legibility within sophisticated image-making systems like DALLE2 involve using prompts, selections, and exploring the concept of feedback loops through repetition and variation.

Spinning Flips, 3D Ceramics, and #GenArtCraft

Generative Arts Collective • 65 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative Arts Creative Coding AI Art Ceramics Visual Arts
  1. Generative AI models like ChatGPT can provide exciting creative uses for artists.
  2. Artists like Vera Molnár integrated computer programming into their art, exploring mathematical patterns.
  3. New initiatives like #GenCodeCraft on OpenProcessing provide collaborative platforms for experimenting with generative art.

Everything Dall-e share all at once

escape the algorithm • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jun 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Visual Culture
  1. Text-based image generators are becoming advanced, creating unique visual outputs from simple descriptions.
  2. Creating AI-generated images can be a mesmerizing and addictive experience, channeling thoughts into visual form effortlessly.
  3. In a world where image creation is easy and abundant, the value of art and the essence of self-expression can be questioned.

Seeing Like a Dataset: Notes on AI Photography

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 06 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography AI Art Visual art
  1. Photography rules shape how we see; AI photography requires composing multiple images to train models.
  2. AI photography focuses on continuity and variation in datasets over single images, contrasting with human instincts.
  3. AI photographers aim to create predictable outputs through training models with large datasets, reshaping how we perceive the world.