“AI art isn’t art” usually comes from love—for the hours, tools, and tiny decisions that shape craft. If by art we mean deep passion and care for craftsmanship, it makes sense to defend the process. But there’s another truth at work: we also play the game of outcomes.
Not every task is the same. Some are process-oriented: the joy lives in doing—hands on clay, brush on canvas, fingers on keys. Others are outcome-oriented: the value is the result—working software, a clear memo, a draft delivered by noon. Mixing these categories creates friction. “Real writing” may mean hand-carved sentences to one person and a crisp, accurate brief to a team on a deadline.
AI doesn’t erase artistry; it moves where the artistry sits. The craft might shift from manual execution to direction: setting intent, shaping prompts, curating references, iterating, editing, and judging taste. Authorship becomes less “who pushed the pixels” and more “who defined the vision and made the choices.” That’s still craft.
A practical way forward is to run two lanes:
Studio Mode (process-joy). When the making is the point, protect it. Choose slower tools on purpose. Celebrate the inefficiency that teaches your hands and refines your taste.
Shipping Mode (outcome-need). When the result matters most, use the fastest reliable path. If AI shortens time to value without harming quality, it’s responsible to use it.
Adopt a simple checklist:
-
What’s the real outcome?
-
How much of my motivation is process joy?
-
What’s the cost of going slow?
-
If I use AI, how will I keep my standards and be transparent?
Curiosity helps. New tools often look like shortcuts until they reveal new kinds of craftsmanship—much like how many makers dismissed early digital fabrication before discovering what it unlocked.
In short: respect both the sanctity of practice and the reality of constraints. Keep the parts of the process you love; accelerate the parts that don’t need your soul. Art isn’t less because a tool helped. It’s less only when vision, judgment, and care go missing.
