AI sustainability in the art sector
Chinese contemporary visual artists’ solutions for working with AI to overcome global AI concerns
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22190185 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emma Duester (0000-0003-1114-4870, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 11263 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-08 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2572-7923 • E-ISSN: 2572-7931 |
| Publisher | EnPress Publisher (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.24294/jipd11263 |
| OpenAlex | W4409229203 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Nationwide integration of AI into the contemporary art sector has taken place since government AI regulations in 2023 to promote AI use. China’s AI integration into industry is ‘ahead’ of other countries, meaning that other countries can learn from these creative professionals. Consequently, contemporary visual artists have devised arts-led sustainable AI solutions to overcome global AI concerns. They are now putting these solutions into practice to maintain their jobs, arts forms, and industry. This paper draws on 30 interviews with contemporary visual artists, and a survey with 118 professional artists from across China between 2023 and 2024. Findings show that 87% use AI and 76% say AI is useful and they will continue to use AI into the future. Findings show professionals have had time to find DIY, bottom-up solutions to AI concerns, including (1) building strong authorship practices, identity, and brand, (2) showing human creativity and inner thinking, (3) gaining a balanced independent position with AI. They want AI regulations to liberalise and promote AI use so they can freely experiment and develop AI. These findings show how humans are directing the use of AI, altering current narratives on AI-led impacts on industry, jobs, and human creativity
Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Contemporary art · Performance art · Sustainability · Visual arts · Computer Science · Conferences and Exhibitions Management · Artificial Intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence, human creativity, and art
Calculated Randomness, Control and Creation
AI ethics and the banality of evil
Articulating arts-led AI
Nordic cultural policy
Work of art in the Age of Its AI Reproduction
Cultural policy, local government and museums
Art in the Information Age
Even Better than the Real Thing? Digital Copies and Digital Museums in a Digital Cultural Policy
| Highly cited | No |
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