The end of 2017 has seen major advances when it comes to artificial intelligence technologies that target the art markets. AI machines demonstrate advanced machine learning algorithms used for fraud detection and even art valuation. AI now creates autonomous art markets and promotes original art pieces. All these developments have brought us closer to collaborating with machines in a mission to democratize the art market.

What truly pushed the boundaries of AI-influenced art was the development of machine learning algorithms that are able to learn how to create art itself. We always knew that AI machines can be smart like humans — if not even smarter — but did we know they can be as creative? Creativity coming from a machine is one of the major AI advances of our age that is truly redefining the art world and providing it a whole new perspective.

Redefining Creativity

Now, artificial intelligence programs paint art by studying data and replicating it into a new painting. The Art and A.I. lab at the Rutgers University has already used AI algorithms to teach machines to recognize styles of paintings and create artwork based on the knowledge that comes from data. In the near future, AI machines will utilize their own version of creativity to create original artworks, rather than pieces that feature merged styles and paintings of famous artists.

For instance, the Paris-based collector Nicolas Laugero-Lasserre, purchased an AI-generated piece of art for €10,000 ($12,000) in February. The portrait is called Le Comte de Belamy. “I just find it amazing that some young people built a program allowing the creation of an original artwork, based on a selection of the ‘bests’ from past art history,” Laugero-Lasserre told artnet News. He calls the innovation “grotesque and amazing at the same time.” The

A French collective called Obvious created Le Comte de Belamy. It is part of a series of “portraits” based on a family in the 18th-century that never existed. Christie’s New York will sell the series in October 2018. It will become the first auction house to sell works of art made by artificial intelligence.

AI Aids Creators

While AI technologies and machine learning algorithms are quickly reaching the point of replacing human artists, they’ve become a valuable asset that can help creators find new ways of self-expression. For example, Prisma uses artificial intelligence to turn ordinary photographs into distinctive pieces of art. The AI software incorporates popular art patterns, such as those of Van Gogh or Picasso, into ordinary photographs to create interesting visuals that feature signature looks.

The Prisma app is only one aspect of how AI is being used to enhance photography art and even give photographs details of artistic paintings. These patterns are incorporated at the most detailed level, turning a simple photograph into a true piece of artwork worth hanging on a wall. AI has recently become even more advanced when it comes to photography.

An AI software application called Arsenal will become one of the first artificial intelligence photography assistants. The agent is meant to help photographers choose the perfect settings for specific shots.

Through Arsenal and similar programs, AI is revolutionizing the art of taking photographs, moving from the world of canvases to the digital field. Another similar AI software, called Pikazo, has a mission to bring these two forms of art closer together. Anyone who uses Pikazo can create stunning masterpieces and share them with a wide community of artists. This program uses artificial intelligence technologies to merge photos on a far more advanced level than ever before.

The program allows users to choose from a variety of styles to create original pieces of artwork that represent a meaningful collaboration between humans and machines. Besides allowing humans to collaborate with rapidly advancing smart technologies, these programs have the goal of bringing art to everyone to make artists of us all. For this reason, many AI programs are targeting the art communities and creating spaces where artists can share their work, present it to the public and, most importantly, keep it safe.

Music to AI Ears

In addition to the advances of AI technology in the sphere of paintings and photography, musical artists are also seeing the rise of AI. A research program called Magenta offers artists in the visual and musical realms of art a versatile set of AI tools that can be used for art and music creation. The tools are meant to help artists expand their possibilities rather than become replaced by technology.

While AI technology and machine learning algorithms are advancing at an amazingly rapid rate, these systems can still cannot replace human artists. At this point of AI development, smart machines are built to assist people in creating art and promoting it to the world. All these advances have enabled artists to collaborate with machines in creating art. However,  it still remains to be seen if those machines will surpass us when it comes to to expressing the source of creativity itself.