This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In world history the compositions of J.S. Bach and Mozart are incomparable, the drawings of DaVinci unmatched, and the paintings of Van Gogh unrivaled.
Artists have been pursuing their level of perfection for generations.
But apparently, that won't be needed anymore. There will be new standard-bearers, from the memory chips of artificial intelligence.
That's because already, according to a report from the Denver Gazette, nearly two dozen pieces of art entered in this year's Colorado State Fair competition came about through the use of technology.
In fact, last year a Pueblo artist won the competition with a piece that was from the "mind" of a computer.
The report explained Jason Allen, whose submission, "Theatre D’Opera Spatial," took first place in the digital arts category, touched off "a heated online debate between people who believed he violated the spirit of the competition (despite the fact that no rules had been broken), and from others who saw his work as a sign of the times."
Olga Robak, of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, under whose auspices the fair is run, said, "Everyone seems to feel strongly about it, one way or the other."
Allen's response was that AI "as an artistic resource" likely is here to stay.
He explained, in the Gazette, "We need to embrace AI technology and move forward, rather than deny that it’s happening."
A new fair rule this year requires artists to disclose if they used AI.
Spokeswoman Trisha Fernandez told the Gazette, "We asked all the artists in the fine arts competition a simple yes-or-no question: Was this created with generative AI software? And we passed that information on to the judges."
Of 55 entries in the "Digital Art/Digitally Manipulated Photography" category 19 submissions used AI programs.
The winner this year was Ashley Martin, who opted not to use AI.
Fernandez said Allen's 2022 victory shows AI is broadening possibilities, but Martin's win this year shows AI hasn't taken over.
Yet.
"I think that’s the beauty of art — that it’s always evolving," Fernandez told the Gazette. "Art can be anything, and anything can be made into art."
