AI and Art: Artificial Intelligence Can Only Generate Output; It Takes Humans to Actually Create Something
The Australian Financial Review
ENRICHED
Details
- Date Published
- 22 Apr 2026
- Priority Score
- 1
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 21 Apr 2026, 10:00 pm
Description
We value art both for itself and the human story behind it – think Beethoven’s deafness and Van Gogh’s madness. AI can only generate; it can never create.
Summary
This article argues that true creativity requires human labor and subjective experience, elements that current AI systems bypass by focusing solely on output generation. The author posits that the value of art is a function of both quality and effort, and that AI's inability to 'work' or suffer through the creative process renders its output fundamentally different from human art. While it does not address existential or catastrophic risks, it contributes to the discourse on the philosophical boundaries of AI capabilities and the potential for technological automation to diminish human-centric cultural value.
Body
Alexander GowHead of Audio, SongwriterApr 22, 2026 – 5.00amArtificial intelligence cannot create; it can only generate. It generates the product while bypassing the process. An artwork is both the art and the work. Consequential art is the product of labour – labour that can be intense and self-reflective or playful and intuitive.The “value” of an artwork relies on the function of “quality” and “effort” required to produce it: V = f (Q,E).Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAIOpinionWeekend FinAFR WeekendReviewAlexander GowHead of Audio, SongwriterAlexander Gow is Head of Audio for the Financial Review and an ARIA award-winning songwriter.Fetching latest articles