This thesis investigates the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the art field
through a comparative analysis of concept art created by AI systems and art students. Focusing
on the capabilities of DreamStudio, powered by Stable Diffusion (Stability AI, 2022), this study
evaluates the quality of outputs in terms of aesthetic value, technical execution, and narrative
coherence, while accounting for the time, resources, and processes required for production. This
study focuses on third-year students specializing in Concept Art and Motion Graphics within the
Gameschool bachelor program, a curriculum dedicated to digital media production with a
particular emphasis on video games. Among the program's three elective tracks—Concept Art
and Motion Graphics, 3D Modeling, and Animation—students in the Concept Art and Motion
Graphics track work extensively with digital art, including illustration, design, and thematic
development. While this specialization encompasses both concept art and motion graphics, the
study specifically examines the concept art aspect of their work due to its alignment with the
research focus on AI-generated and human-created digital artworks. Having begun their
specialization in their second year, these students bring advanced expertise in digital artistic
production, making them ideally positioned to provide insights into the integration of AI
technologies in creative workflows and its possible implications on the field itself.
Through qualitative analysis, this study examines the strengths and limitations of AI-generated
and student-created artworks. Findings from this research, alongside similar studies, suggested
that while AI systems excelled at rendering semi-realistic environments and maintaining stylistic
consistency across individual images, they exhibited significant challenges in conceptual depth,
spatial coherence, and iterative improvement over time (Borji, 2022; Schmidt, 2024). While
these findings align with existing research on the capabilities and limitations of AI in art, this
study contributes new insights by providing a comparative evaluation of AI and
student-produced works within an educational framework. It highlights specific areas, such as
the depiction of progression in thematic designs, where AI's limitations intersect with
pedagogical concerns, offering practical recommendations for integrating AI in art education.
The comparative analysis revealed that while AI excelled in rapid ideation and semi-realistic
rendering, its outputs frequently lacked thematic depth and spatial coherence. These limitations
align with Borji’s (2022) findings on AI’s reliance on prompt specificity but add a new
dimension by demonstrating how these deficiencies affect task adherence in an educational
setting. The study underscores the necessity of human oversight to bridge interpretive gaps,
offering a hybrid approach as a pathway to enhance creative workflows. A hybrid
approach—integrating AI tools with human oversight and reference—emerges as a promising
method for enhancing efficiency, though it underscores the irreplaceable role of human creativity
in achieving cohesive and meaningful artistic outcomes.
This study, corroborated by related literature, also addresses ethical concerns, such as intellectual
property, plagiarism, and the broader societal implications of AI adoption in art (Frey &
Osborne, 2017; Fjeld & Kortz, 2017). Interviews with students highlight apprehensions
regarding AI-driven homogenization, reduced job opportunities, and the erosion of artistic
integrity. Despite these concerns, participants advocate for regulated and ethical AI applications
that complement rather than replace human creativity.
By integrating the evaluation of artistic outputs, production processes, and ethical considerations,
this thesis aims to contribute to the discourse on AI's role in reshaping artistic practice and
education. It offers insights into the evolving dynamics between human and machine creativity
and proposes guidelines, informed by student and artist commentary, to ensure the responsible
integration of AI in the art field
