Had a barista at a coffee shop in Austin argue with me about AI art yesterday

I was waiting for my order and this guy working the counter saw me scrolling through some AI generated images on my phone. He asked what I thought about them and I said I thought they looked cool but felt kind of empty. He got real defensive and said it was just another tool like Photoshop or a camera. I told him I've used Photoshop for years and it still takes skill to make something good. He said AI was democratizing art for people who can't draw. But I kept thinking about that one image he showed me, it had no mistakes or weird choices a real artist would make. Something about it just felt flat and lifeless no matter how perfect it looked. Has anyone else had a conversation like this where someone just couldn't see the difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.willow1mo ago

That image with zero weird choices is exactly why it feels hollow.

haydenbutler1mo ago

Actually there's three weird choices in that image, the broccoli placement alone is a crime.