Jason alien, a video game designer in pueblo, Color a do, spent about 80 hours working on his entry to the Color a do State Fair's digital arts competition, judge awarded him first place, which came with a $300 prize.
Allen's victory took a turn when he revealed online that he'd created his prize-winning art using Midjourney, an artificial intelligence (AI) program that can turn text descriptions into images. He says he also made that clear to state fair officials when he dropped off his submission (提交) called Théátre D'péra Spatial.
Colorado's 150-year-old state fair is held each summer in Pueblo, a town about 185 kilometers south of Denver. The fair's submission guide lines do not directly mention AI-generated art, but they define (定义) digital arts as "artistic practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process."
The competition's two judge say they were unaware that alien had used AI to create his piece. But even if they had known, they still would've given him first place. They said they awarded the top prize based on the story Théátre D'péra Spatial tells, as well as the spirit it inspires.
Allen created Théátre D'péra Spatial by entering various words and phrased into Mid journey, which then produced more than 900 versions for him to choose from. He selected his three favorite, then continued adjusting them in Photo shop until he was satisfied. He boosted their resolution (分辨率) using a tool called Gigapixel and printed the works on canvas. He entered all three pieces into the competition, and one of them won.
Allen said he believes the criticism of his work originate from artist s' fear that technology will one day become so advanced that they'll be out of jobs.
In the meantime, as state fair spokesperson alga Robak says, it's bringing out "a broader conversation about how we decide what art is, and how we judge it appropriately."
