'It might pave the way for novel forms of artistic expression': Generative AI isn't a threat to artists — it's an opportunity to redefine art itself

A psychedelic illustration of a brain.

One of the key areas that artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to disrupt is human creativity — and the rise of generative AI has certainly thrown art into the spotlight. While fears remain that AI may replace human input and agency across society, a different approach suggests humans will meld with AI in some capacity — with the new technologies augmenting us rather than undermining us.

In "Centaur Art: The Future of Art in the Age of Generative AI" (Springer, 2024), computer scientist Remo Pareschi explores the notion of "centauric intelligence" — an integration of human and computing intelligence — and its impact on the future of art. In this excerpt, Pareschi explains how our primal fears are misguided and argues that the rise of AI may, in fact, help human creative endeavors transcend to new heights.