The next Picasso might be out of a job, panel says.

Artificial intelligence technology, like DALL-E and Midjourney, has the potential to allow everyday people to create high-quality art and design projects even with no formal training, said Jiabao Li, an associate professor of fine arts, at a roundtable discussion on AI at the University of Texas.

“AI can be democratizing. It can democratize the art process and increase accessibility,” Li said.

Even though AI makes the creative process more accessible, there’s a potential downside to this technology. It causes a fundamental shift in who is in charge of the design process and may make certain jobs obsolete in the near future.

Li gathered with other art and design experts on Jan. 30 for a roundtable discussion debating whether society is ready to embrace AI and machine learning models or if more time is needed to refine this technology.

Panel experts explained that although artificial intelligence and machine learning are terms that are often used interchangeably, machine learning is actually a tool that allows developers to create AI technology. The machine’s ability to learn is what makes it intelligent.

Panel members, Claudia Schmuckli, a museum curator for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, said machine intelligence is nothing new, but now that more people are using the technology, it raises ethical concerns.

Schmuckli explained that these technologies function by using various artworks already available on the internet to create a seemingly novel image. However it does so without crediting or compensating the original artists. It is unfair to anyone who has uploaded creative work that is now being fed into this machine and raises the ethical question of whether this can be considered true art.

In addition to these ethical concerns, Schmuckli also pointed out that humans cannot connect to AI generated art in the same way that they do to traditional artworks.

“Anybody who is interested in the history of representation and the history of image making is actually going to be pretty bored, pretty quickly, with the...images that DALL-E or Midjourney creates,” she said.

According to Li, humans throughout history have experienced anxiety at the dawn of new technology. She pointed out that when cameras were introduced, photography and videography were not considered an art form. Even when new design software like Photoshop was created, it was considered a cop-out to creating “real” art. Today, digital photography, video, and even AI-based art exhibitions are celebrated forms of artistic expression. The definition of what is art and what it is not, is constantly being redefined by new technologies.

Jason Salavon, a Chaicago-based contemporary artist, pointed out that advancements in AI has potential consequences for other professions as well.

“We’re talking about art but doctors and lawyers should be a little worried too,” said Salavon. “There are a lot of white-collar jobs that are going to look different in a very short amount of time.”

Another panelist, Kory Bieg, an associate professor of architecture, agreed, explaining that he is now able to have AI write code for him which he can then apply to his work. He no longer requires a coder on his team to get the same task done.

However, even though AI technology plays an important role in allowing more users to create high-quality art and design, there are still many people who don’t have access to this technology. For people who cannot afford these programs, they will not be able to access the opportunities that this technology can offer.

This discussion was part of a speaker series called Good Systems sponsored by UT Austin Vice President for Research and focuses on AI and its intersection with ethics. The next event in this series will be held on March 6 2023.

Audience members also shared some of their concerns with the rise in popularity of these technologies.

“I believe that humans must always have agency over the technology we create and that’s something that is disappearing with the rise of artificial intelligence.” said Samantha Rudra, a fourth-year undergraduate student studying economics and design at the University of Texas at Austin.

Some also had concerns about the evolving job market and how these technologies will play a role in shaping that future.

“The jobs that people are currently training for may no longer be there when they graduate.” said Hui Xu, a second-year master's student with a specialty in user experience design research. Looking into the future, Xu and other students can only speculate the role AI and machine learning models will play in various industries such as art, design, and beyond.