Artists fight back as deep-learning models threaten their livelihoods.
When Jason M. Allen entered a fine art competition at the Colorado State Fair, he wasn’t just trying to win — he wanted to make a point.
Allen is a video game designer. His submission, titled “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” was a baroque phantasmagoria depicting three gowned figures illuminated by the light of a large open window. After the artwork took first place, in August 2022, Allen posted about how it had been created using Midjourney, an artificial intelligence program capable of converting textual descriptions into full-blown images. Allen said he had made it clear when he submitted the piece that it had been created using the AI tool.
