Fine art institutes seek to empower digital art exploration through AI

A painting of Qi Baishi reproduced by AI Photo: Courtesy of Chinanews.com

Four high-profile art institutes in China have expressed their willingness to further combine AI into digital art exploration, underlining the importance of using AI to generate artistic content with greater efficiency.

At a forum held by US technology company Intel, an AI model was able to instantly reproduce an artwork of Chinese master painter Qi Baishi.

Wu Hongliang, head of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, which will celebrate the 160th anniversary of Qi's birth in 2024, said that AI technology can provide viewers with all the relevant information in a Chinese painting within a second, showcasing the perspectives of the painting instantly.

Wang Lei, the dean of the School of Animation and Digital Arts, Communication University of China, said that AI technology excels at creating details.

"Animating with AI significantly reduces time and labor costs, as traditional animation's biggest challenge is depicting grand scenes," Wang said, noting the evolution of hardware and AI empowers artists and allows them to expand their imagination. 

"AI can not only fulfill everyone's artistic dreams but also inspire diverse artistic ideas in artists in different fields, allowing creators to focus their energy on self-expression," he said. 

Wu Qiong, a professor with the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, and Feng Mengbo, the dean of the School of Experimental Art at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, are the leading names in utilizing AI technology to create interactive art installations.

The Communication University of China, Tsinghua University and Central Academy of Fine Arts will launch a joint project to cultivate future AI-generated content talents.

Global Times