Sofie Raote ’28, Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer

Image depicting AI-generated Coca-Cola advertisement. (Image courtesy of Forbes)

A recent advertisement made by the Coca-Cola company depicted a family of polar bears enjoying their Coke during the holidays. However, the ad received backlash from its viewers for being ‘soulless’ and ‘uncanny’. The ad was made purely using Generative AI by the companies Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card. Many people were left wondering if this new invention was going to slowly start to increase its dominance in the Arts industry and take away creativity and innovation, or simply remain as a helpful tool. Generative AI is a type of Artificial Intelligence that creates new content, such as images, text, or music, using information from previous data.  It dates back to 1950 when English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing published a paper called “Computer Machinery and Intelligence”. In the past few decades, generative AI has increased in popularity due to recent breakthroughs in neural networks. An increased prevalence of AI in the art sector has also occurred in recent years due to the pandemic. However, many people are left wondering whether this notable tool will aid in their field or bring great concerns.

One of the biggest aspects of art-making is having the creative capacity to generate ideas that stand out. Pablo Picasso is an example of one of these artists. Picasso’s art was known for challenging the typical expectations of paintings during the twentieth century. He invented the style, ‘cubism’, where cubes were used to create larger shapes, such as portraits or objects. His creative mind led him to make art that would be recognizable to anyone. Aroma Yagnik ’28 says, “I feel like AI has more of a copy-and-paste situation. You give it a specific task, and it performs it. It won’t give any outstanding new ideas that can have a huge impact on humanity as a whole.” AI can assist by generating ideas and minor details in art. Some software can be used to pinpoint small errors in the artwork, while others can generate general ideas for an artist if they have an art block. While AI does have the ability to generate almost anything it is asked for, it will be unable to create an art piece with the same level of complexity that can be made by a human, as its contents will be very generic.

However, many are concerned with the ‘dark side’ of AI in this field, such as plagiarism and the devaluation of art. The Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs describes an incident where a video falsely  “appeared to depict Malaysia’s Economic Affairs Minister engaged in physical relations with an aide.” AI can create anything and everything, from a 1000-word essay to a deepfake of a politician in the blink of an eye. Many people who themselves do not identify as artists can generate AI-made images and sell them to earn money. Artists who don’t use AI have a more difficult time staying afloat, negatively affecting their income. NA Freshman Myra Shrivastava ’28 says, “It annoys me to see the capacity of AI overshadow real art. Those who truly put effort into their work get little in return, while others make double the money with a fraction of the effort.” The number of real artists may decrease over time due to their careers being taken over by AI. AI assistance decreases human effort and increases laziness. Humans may find little to no motivation to pursue their dreams due to the presence of AI.  

Overall, AI has been a remarkable achievement, reshaping everyday human lives. Its entrance into the arts industry has been met with many different emotions and responses; some claim it ‘harms’ the framework of the sector, while others claim it poses no threat. In our own Newark Academy community, there have been similar cases where students have made the wrong choices and decided to use AI in their assignments and assessments. One of NA’s biggest policies on AI is to ensure that the teachers give permission if any form of AI is used in the assignment. After the incident with the AI-generated Coca-Cola ad and the controversy behind it, it is hard to predict what will become of it, but for now, we as humans should aim to use this technology in a way that would benefit ourselves while ensuring it does not cause harm to others.