Why AI-Assisted Art Still Retains Value
Heartfelt whispers - Vanessa Corrigall 2024
Collectors sometimes wonder if using AI in the artistic process makes a piece less valuable. The answer? Not when it's used ethically, transparently, and in service of a human-crafted final work. Studies show that audiences still place higher value on artwork created or heavily shaped by human hands, even when modern tools like AI are part of the process.
A study in Scientific Reports found that AI-generated work is often seen as innovative—but less authentic and less labor-intensive—compared to art made or guided by a human artist (Chen et al., 2024).
Research on digital artists revealed that "blended creators" (those using both traditional methods and AI) earned more and were seen as more credible than purely AI-generated work (Nartey, 2023).
Surveys show that transparency matters: when artists clearly disclose how they use AI, trust increases and collectors feel more confident about the originality and integrity of the work (Wallach et al., 2024).
Copyright law in many countries—including Canada and the U.S.—still requires significant human input for legal protection, which reinforces the market's bias toward human-authored work.
In short: when AI is just one step in a thoughtful, intentional process—like how I use it for references—it doesn’t diminish value. It’s simply another tool, like a camera or a sketchpad, helping bring a vision to life.
In my own practice, I use artificial intelligence to help generate reference images for my paintings. These references allow me to explore lighting, figure placement, and composition more freely—especially for underwater scenes that are difficult to photograph myself. I always disclose this part of my process in conversations with collectors and in my artist statement, because transparency matters to me. The final paintings, however, are fully hand-painted with acrylics—layered, refined, and made with time, intuition, and intention.
References (APA 7)
Chen, R., Zhao, L., & Hu, S. (2024). Human versus AI: Aesthetic perception and authenticity in art. Scientific Reports, 14(112), 1–10. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882124000161
Nartey, L. J. (2023). Artificial intelligence in digital art: A comparative analysis on impacts to artists. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387915303_Artificial_Intelligence_in_Digital_Art_A_Comparative_Analysis_on_Impacts_to_Artists
Wallach, H., Etzioni, O., & Gabriel, I. (2024). Generative AI and artist transparency: Perceptions of fair use and ethics. Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society. https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/AIES/article/view/31691
