Wen Jue Niew 
More than seven years ago, we asked ourselves whether digital art is “real art”. We question the authenticity of an artist’s creation once he or she makes use of the conveniences offered by digital software. Today, with the rise of AI and its capabilities, a new debate has emerged over whether AI art can be considered “real art.”
The answer is both yes and no.
According to Wikipedia, art “is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around works utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, technical proficiency, or beauty.” It is the expression of one’s creative desire.
Above is a picture generated by ChatGPT 5.1; it was given the instruction to generate an image that resembled Bernini’s sculptures. Having seen Bernini’s sculptures, this attempt reveals the inability of AI to even faintly recapture Bernini’s essence. It isn’t just a simulacrum of the original; it is an imitation of a bad representation. This is not art because it is not an expression of human creativity. For reference, here is Bernini’s The Rape of Persephone.
However, here are two frames taken from an Sora AI-generated video.
The fundamental difference between this video and the ChatGPT-generated image earlier is how both creators use AI’s generative abilities. The video above is a satirical depiction of the lengths gacha game Genshin Impact players will go to to obtain their favourite characters.
This AI user is using AI as a medium rather than merely a shortcut. Its intentionally subpar quality and abstract imitation of the original 《熊出没》 (Boonie Bears) series functions as part of its artistic style, even if the intention is humorous or satirical. Simply put, this AI-creation is trying to express an idea; the work has point and meaning. It is, therefore, art.
In conclusion, merely using AI is not enough to determine whether a piece of work is or is not “real art”.
