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Let’s take a walk into the strange, emerging world of AI art generation. This article will give you a taste for what’s out there, but remember: the space is changing every day!
First of all, what is it?
AI art generation refers to the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to create original works of art, such as paintings, drawings, and digital art. AI art generators are often trained on large datasets of artwork in order to learn and replicate the styles and techniques of human artists. Some are designed to create completely original works, while others are intended to mimic or enhance the work of human artists. The most popular currently include:
Midjourney - Midjourney actually requires that you give it an input via their Discord server, which offers one massive benefit: you can see the custom inputs of other users (and their accompanying outputs), and can therefore rapidly learn the types of aesthetics that are possible. It also has the highest quality image output.
Stable Diffusion Online - Stable diffusion is an open source AI art generator that you can download to your desktop. The benefit is the ability to customize, however the art output has a lower baseline quality than Midjourney. This choice is for more advanced users who want to play around with the software.
DALL-E - Dall-E has the simplest user interface of the AI art generators and is likely the easiest place to begin for those unfamiliar with Discord. Keep in mind, however, that the image outputs cannot have custom aspect ratios and feel a bit less clean than Midjourney.
For most people we'd recommend Midjourney as a compromise between quality and ease of use.
How AI art generators are being used
So how are people using these different AI art generators? Let’s take a look at some of the more creative searches that have been popping up over the past few months:
Furry AI art generator: Yes, this is a thing. This type of AI art generator is specifically designed to create artwork featuring anthropomorphic animals, or "furries." It may be trained on a dataset of existing furry artwork in order to replicate the style and techniques of human artists. It's weird, we know.
Using an AI art generator for Etsy shop: Many artists and small businesses use Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, to sell their artwork. In this case, we believe Midjourney would be the best way for Etsy merchants to generate high quality pieces of art. It can be used to create original artwork to sell on the platform, or it could be used to enhance the work of human artists/merchants by generating variations or new ideas.
Using an AI art generator for TikTok: TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos, and it has become a popular platform for artists to share their work. If you want to create art-related content for Tiktok, such as speed drawings or timelapses, you certainly can do that with the above three ai art generators. OpenAI is developing a video generation system that will soon be used to create original video or art to share on the platform as well.
Where to find an Anime AI art generator: Anime is a popular style of Japanese animation, and there are AI art generators specifically designed to create artwork in this style. These generators may be trained on a dataset of existing anime artwork in order to replicate the style and techniques of human artists.
NSFW AI art generator: You knew this was going to land on the list, didn’t you? "NSFW" stands for "not safe for work," and it refers to artwork that is sexually explicit or suggestive. There are AI art generators that are specifically designed to create NSFW artwork, but use caution when using these generators, as they may not be appropriate for all audiences. We won't link them here.
Wonder AI art generator: Wonder is a company that specializes in creating AI art generators for generating logos and designs for businesses. Their generators are designed to be user-friendly and case-specific, and they offer a variety of styles and themes to choose from.
What is the best free AI art generator: Again, we recommend Midjourney here. The other free AI art generators available online are noted above, but it’s worth researching and evaluating these generators before using them. Some other free ai art generators that utilize Stable Diffusion on the back end may have limited capabilities - for instance, the aspect ratio may be locked, or the speed of generation may be low. Many require users to sign up for a paid subscription in order to access all of their features.
At the end of the day, these are tools that can be used by artists, businesses and individuals to create original artwork or enhance existing work (weird or not). The impact they will soon have on society is unfolding before our eyes. For more information on what the Brave New World may look like, check out the dark forest theory. Stay safe out there!