Here is the challenge. There are 50 pictures in four different styles: RenaissanceThe "rebirth" of Western learning began in the late 15th century, as European scholars rediscovered ancient manuscripts and began to make developments in science and art., 19^th Century, Modern and Digital. Half of them created by artists, the other half generated by AI. Could you tell the difference?

This was the test designed by blogger Scott Alexander. In total, 11,000 people took part online. The average score was just over 60% correct guesses, a little better than random.¹

Of course, everyone can identify a generic AI image. The "house style" of Dall-E image generator has a bright, glossy feel that often looks fake. But, when AI creates pictures in a traditional artistic style, the test becomes much harder.

When it came to ImpressionistA 19th Century art movement known for small but visible brush strokes. pictures, nobody knew for sure. The test-takers mistakenly identified every image as human-made - except for the one picture that was not generated by AI. And, when asked which images they liked the best, even people who claimed to hate AI art preferred it to human work.

So, what does this mean? According to Alexander, people "can't tell AI art from some of the greatest artists in history".² But he also thinks that great art is meant to challenge expectations, and that the masterpieces of the 21st Century will be digital creations.

There have already been exhibitions of AI artwork, with pictures selling for thousands of pounds.³ Fans of the technology argue that computers can create images which are "new, valuable, and surprising" - the popular definition of creativity by Margaret Boden, a researcher in cognitiveRelating to the processes of thinking and reasoning. science.

The celebrated mathematician Marcus du Sautoy agrees. He thinks the way machines combine different artistic elements in an unpredictable fashion is a creative process. "Code exposed to data - existing artworks, for example - is able to learn, mutate and evolve" he argues.⁴

But many creative figures think otherwise. For instance, in a popular online essay, the writer Ian Leslie asked whether ChatGPT could compose a prize-winning novel. He concluded that "LLMA large language model (LLM) is a type of AI program that recognises and generates text.s are backward-looking. They are derivativeSomething based on another source or version. , even when creating new combinations."⁵

People also want a personal relationship with an artist. This explains the popularity of live events, whether poetry readings or music gigs. Though music is easier to stream than ever before, last year music tours reached a record revenue of $9.17bn (£7.21bn) worldwide.⁶

This could be because audiences respond to artistic intent - the human desire to create and perform. Even Marcus du Sautoy recognises that "No machine is driven to express itself creatively. It is prompted by the intention of the human."⁷

But perhaps it is wrong to think of a competition between humans and computers. In fact, there is a long history of artists using machines, from optical devices like a camera obscuraA darkened room with a small hole or lens, through which an image can be projected. It has been speculated that Johannes Vermeer used one to achieve his minute attention to detail., to reproductive technology like the printing press.

In the future, creatives could work with AI to make hybridA mixture of two distinct species that combine to form one organism. forms of art. Artists will generate ideas, computers will generate images, and nobody will be able to tell where the human ends and the machine begins.

Can computers create great art?

Yes: The general public cannot tell the difference between human and AI art - and may even prefer the latter. Creativity comes from unexpected combinations, which computers can create as well as people.

No: AI can make convincing copies of artistic styles, but they are still just copies. Machines will not start a new artistic movement by imitating work that already exists.

Or... Artists have historically adopted new technology, from printing presses to cameras and film. In the future, they will find ways to make human work that incorporates AI's abilities.