Meet your Muse: How AI in Creativity is Redefining Art

We could wax on about how AI is revolutionizing tech, automating rote tasks, and changing the lives of those who work on a laptop. But what about creatives, those who have long been insulated from AI in an effort to preserve artistic integrity? Some companies say they are the most ripe for innocation.

From conjuring fantastical visuals to composing heart-stirring melodies, AI isn’t here to usurp the artist, but rather to become a powerful collaborator. These tools empower artists to explore uncharted creative territories, streamline workflows, and spark unexpected and inspiring ideas. Let’s delve deeper into some of the groundbreaking AI art platforms and readily available apps that are redefining artistic creation.

Image generation: where imagination meets creation 

• Midjourney: Unleash your inner visionary with this text-to-image powerhouse. Craft a compelling description, like “a cyberpunk cityscape bathed in neon light, with a lone figure silhouetted against a holographic advertisement,” and let Midjourney weave that vision into existence. The platform excels at generating photorealistic imagery and surreal dreamscapes, making it a favourite among concept artists, designers, and anyone who wants to bring their imagination to life. Midjourney offers a free trial, but full access requires a paid subscription, typically starting around £9 per month. 
   
• NightCafe Creator: Embark on a creative odyssey with NightCafe Creator. Explore a vast library of artistic styles, from the swirling brushstrokes of Van Gogh to the sharp minimalism of pop art. Experiment with different AI models – each with its own strengths – to refine your artistic vision and bring it to life. NightCafe Creator offers a free tier with limited functionality, while a paid subscription unlocks the full potential of the platform, allowing for more artistic styles, higher resolution images, and faster processing times. 
   
• DALL-E 2: While not yet widely available, DALL-E 2 by OpenAI has captured the imagination of the creative world. This cutting-edge platform boasts an uncanny ability to generate incredibly realistic and imaginative images based on textual descriptions. Imagine describing a “steampunk airship soaring through a bioluminescent cloud forest,” and DALL-E 2 might just translate that into a breathtaking visual masterpiece. Due to its immense processing power and potential impact, access to DALL-E 2 is currently limited to a select group of researchers and creators. 

Music composition: from algorithms to symphonies 

• MuseNet: Developed by Google AI, MuseNet transcends simple music generation. This sophisticated tool composes original pieces based on the parameters you provide. Specify the genre (think melancholic jazz or upbeat electronica), mood (evocative or playful), and instruments (a soothing cello or a driving electric guitar) and MuseNet will craft a unique composition that captures the essence of your desired style. MuseNet offers a free tier with limited functionality, allowing you to experiment with basic compositions. To unlock the full potential of the platform, including advanced customization options and longer pieces, a paid subscription is required. 

• Amper Music (Paid): Amper Music empowers creators to produce royalty-free music for videos, games, and other multimedia projects using AI-powered tools. Unlike MuseNet’s focus on original composition, Amper Music allows you to choose from a vast library of pre-composed AI-generated music tracks. You can then use Amper’s intuitive interface to modify the mood, tempo, and instrumentation of the chosen track to perfectly suit your project’s needs. Amper Music offers a paid subscription model, typically starting around £15 per month, which provides access to the entire library and customization tools. 

Photo manipulation and art filters: transforming the ordinary into extraordinary 

• Prisma: Transform your everyday photos into artistic masterpieces with Prisma. This user-friendly mobile application utilises AI to apply a wide range of artistic filters inspired by renowned artistic movements. Want to see your vacation snapshot reimagined in the style of a Monet water lily painting? Or perhaps you’d like to capture the essence of a vibrant street scene through the lens of Van Gogh’s swirling brushstrokes? Prisma allows you to do just that, with its vast library of artistic filters. Prisma offers a freemium model with limited filters and functionalities. Upgrading to a paid subscription unlocks the full library of artistic styles, premium features like advanced editing tools, and higher resolution outputs. 
   
• Dream by WOMBO: Breathe life into your photos with Dream by WOMBO’s unique and captivating artistic filters. Unlike the traditional filter approach, Dream by WOMBO utilises AI to create a fantastical, animated aesthetic. Imagine your portrait transformed into a swirling, dreamlike animation reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting come alive. Dream by WOMBO offers a freemium model, allowing you to experiment with a limited selection of filters to unleash your creativity and get a taste of the possibilities. A paid subscription unlocks the full library of filters, along with advanced settings for customization. With the paid subscription, you can fine-tune the animation style, control the intensity of the effect, and even choose the direction and flow of the movement in your transformed photo. 

Beyond the apps: a glimpse into the future of AI art 

The landscape of AI art extends beyond these readily available apps. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are heavily invested in pushing the boundaries of AI-powered creativity: 

• Google Magenta: This ambitious project by Google AI explores the intersection of art and machine learning. Magenta delves into a variety of artistic domains, from generating musical pieces and poetry to creating captivating visual art styles. The project fosters collaboration between artists and researchers, aiming to develop AI tools that can not only create art but also understand and respond to human artistic sensibilities. 
   
• Microsoft Azure cognitive services: Microsoft isn’t lagging behind in the AI art race. Their Azure Cognitive Services offer a suite of AI tools specifically designed for creative endeavours. These tools include text generation, allowing users to create poems, scripts, or even musical lyrics using AI. Additionally, Azure offers tools for creating artistic image styles, enabling users to transform ordinary photos into works reminiscent of famous painters or artistic movements. 

Distilled 

The integration of AI into the artistic realm is not a zero-sum game. AI is not here to replace the artist, but rather to become a powerful collaborator, expanding the creative palette and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more sophisticated and intuitive tools to emerge. This will undoubtedly lead to a future where human and machine collaborate to create a vibrant symphony of artistic innovation, forever enriching the landscape of creativity.