Only Hands: A rising rejection of AI-generated art and design

I was recently asked to help an arts organization write a policy banning the use of AI flyers for events held at their facility. I’m seeing an increase in requests like this during my presentations on AI, and it isn’t just arts organizations pushing back on AI flyers. The Thomas House Pub in Ireland recently went viral for a sign in its window saying: “So for the future (literally), we’re not accepting AI flyers for the Pub. We’re right next to Ireland’s largest Art College, lads. It’s not a good look.”

This pushback goes beyond physical spaces. I see Facebook groups banning AI flyers and social media platforms allowing users to flag “AI slop.” In response, the demand for flyer design and flyer templates created by actual designers is on the rise on sites like Etsy.

We were told that AI would do everyone’s job better. That having access to all of the world’s online knowledge and the ability to process that information almost instantly would ultimately mean it could do things faster and more efficiently than any one human. So, shouldn’t we be seeing the most mind-blowing, eye-catching and brilliant flyer designs? Things that make designers stop and say, “Wow, I wish I thought of that.”

But we aren’t.

Instead, we are seeing the same designs popping up over and over again, making it easy to identify AI-generated flyers. They all look eerily similar. That is, in part, how generative AI works. It looks at the information in its training data and generates a response based on patterns and probabilities. It is essentially trying to produce the most likely answer.

Then, it gives that same “most likely answer” to everyone who asks it to make a promotional flyer.

From flyers to fine art

I am also hearing a lot of questions about how AI will impact the fine arts. I think we are going to see a similar response. If people are already tired of seeing the same flyers over and over again, they certainly aren’t going to tolerate the same art being generated over and over again.

Some artists will push the boundaries of what AI can do, and I think there is room for work that incorporates AI in exploratory or meaningful ways. The key difference will be originality, and it will be easy to spot.
In the same way you can tell when you walk into someone’s house and see that they collect original art versus mass-produced wall hangings available at any big chain store, artists using AI in original ways will stand out. Those using it in the same way as everyone else will fall into the “AI slop” category.

Maybe that is the boost we need to get more people to purchase an original work of art or go to a museum or a live concert. If the average becomes so repetitive and boring that people start seeking out one-of-a-kind works of art or live productions, the value of something created by human hands could increase, and the demand could rise with it.

The “most likely response” becomes as exciting as khaki pants. That means not exciting, with apologies to any khaki fans who may be reading this.

Rise of the resistance

If people start investing more in one-of-a-kind handmade works of art and live artistic productions, it boosts the local economy, helping stave off that pesky economic collapse they’ve been warning us about when AI takes everyone’s jobs. This is my favorite version of the future. Everyone saves the world by simply investing in each other.

For example, when you buy a painting from a local painter, they might spend that money at the local coffee shop or cafe and buy more art supplies for their next painting. That money continues circulating through the local economy. Artwork purchased at a chain store sends that money out of the community and into a corporation’s profits, where it will likely end up tucked away in a wealthy person’s savings account.

We don’t have to accept that getting the average answer in the fastest way possible is the wave of the future. We can demand to celebrate the craft, the process, the brilliance and the time invested. We can choose to collect and invest in the one-of-a-kind instead of the mass-produced. This pushes back against big AI and big business. It’s a win-win!

You can be a cool kid, too.

When people enter our home, they always comment on how cool it is that we have “real art.” I am lucky in that I have worked my entire professional career in the arts, giving me access to many artists. Combine this experience with my love of a good arts and craft fair, and we’ve amassed quite a large art collection. But you don’t need to work in the arts to collect art. There is such a wide variety of styles and mediums at all price points available at art fairs and galleries. Everyone should have original works of art on their walls. It can be a way to reflect your unique personality. Plus, everyone who walks in will be impressed.

So, not only will you support your local economy and push back on Big AI and Big Business by buying a handmade work of art, you’ll also increase your home’s cool factor.

Or, to put it another way, art made by “Only Hands” can increase your home’s sexy factor.

Jeni Barton is Director, Digital Products at ArtsWave.

Photo source: The Thomas House, Facebook.