How AI-generation and commercialisation of Ghibli images erodes artistic integrity

However, most still believe that this is just a technological shift which is true for any industry and the effort of human creativity is still worth to those who value art in its true sense.

“I do not think AI-generated artworks of any style can reduce the value of the actual human-created ones. One is created. One is generated. Of course the value of creation is far more. AI may be able to replicate the lines and colours, but to bring soul into those very lines, you need human emotions into it. You cannot generate life into a piece of art,” highlighted Aishik, a 3D artist.

For him, AI is just another tool for his life that is supposed to assist in one’s work and not totally produce it for them. “The fad that people are jumping into with AI, they are mindlessly trying to replace ‘create’ with ‘generate’. There is a reason why a four-second animation scene takes almost a year to create and why we see the emotions, why we feel it. And people need to know how to value it.”

Kaustav, another passionate digital artist has similar views on AI being used to mass-produce so-called art.

“AI should just be treated as a helping hand. If it is copying your work, how is it not ethically stealing? How can anyone be motivated to produce art in this way? Even Canva and Photoshop use AI-infused features, but they are trained with copyrighted material. Is that the case with the current trend? Hardly requires any answer!”

If the world shifts towards mass-produced AI art becoming the new normal, traditional artists could struggle to maintain visibility and fair compensation. However, Radhika, an advocate and a passionate traditional artist, believes the other way around. The rise of artificial art could reinforce the importance of human creativity. As more people realise the soulless nature of AI images, they might develop a deeper appreciation for flaws, textures, and emotional depth behind human creativity.

“People today often believe in the phrase ‘smart work, not hard work’; but I am certain that art does not work that way. Art in itself is an exception to the regular norms of the society. It believes in skill, effort, creativity, hard work and dedication. These elements add up to how artists think and create meaningful and exquisite art,” she highlighted adding, “AI can never replace an artist’s passion for art or the creativity that they hold. AI does not generate art based on its intellect. It copies from different sources that it is trained on. It can never create, it can only replicate.”