Qualitative Study of Text-to-Image AI Generators and their Relationship with NFTs

Abstract

The evolution of technology and science has brought groundbreaking developments to the current visual arts, and the application of digital technology has brought significant changes to the creation and aesthetic taste of traditional art. This study, therefore, investigates the current state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and applications in generating visual art while giving a brief history of the intersection of AI and art, including the milestone advancements in neural networks. Fifteen interviews were conducted with technical artists who use text-to-image AI generators to gather data. Based on the findings from the interviews, the state-of-the-art applications were reviewed and analyzed in six categories: Accessibility, Barrier to Entry, Novelty, Ethics and Morality, Control, Non-fungible tokens (NFT) and Monetization which were widely discussed along with their success and limitations. The research concludes with three main findings; (a) monetization of digital media through NFTs that has a direct impact on the advancement of art generating AI applications, (b) there is a significant change in the traditional creative process with the integration of AI applications, and AI is not just a tool but it's a creative agent that artists collaborate with (c) art generating AI applications can generate limitless possibilities within the same aesthetics as a result revolutionize the way humans create and interact with art.