Perceptions on AI creativity in the pre-generative AI era. Insights from computer scientists and artists

Abstract

Whether it is about literature, music, painting, graphic design, advertising, or other creative domains, Artificial Intelligence (AI) finds its way in. The present study aims to offer a pre-generative AI overview on AI creativity perception. It serves as a benchmark that enables future researchers to compare earlier and recent AI advances so to explore the profound technological shifts currently occurring. Focusing on domain comparative empirical dimension, the paper exploratory investigates perceptions on AI creativity, on AI-human co-creation potential, and AI creativity’s ethical and authorship considerations. A set of comparative semi-structured expert interviews with Romanian computer scientists and artists (N=33) is conducted. The data is analyzed using Atlas.ti software. As common grounds for computer scientists and artists, the results show that AI can provide original artworks due to its capacity to manage large amounts of data. However, it is deeply dependent on them. Within the creation process, AI is perceived as a partner or a tool that can augment human abilities. Ethical aspects should be considered both before and after the creation process. Artists, in comparison with computer scientists, emphasize more on the trivialization of the AI creation act and on the unfair and threatening competition. Although they believe that machines should not create, they also agree on machine-centric authorship.