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The author, Miles Mathis, September 12, 2022, expresses skepticism about a report of an ai winning a top prize in an art contest, particularly at the Colorado State Fair. He suspects the event is staged by entities like the CIA to promote computer abilities and devalue human artists. Mathis analyzes the supposed ai-generated artwork, highlighting its anatomical inaccuracies (e.g., misdrawn hands and facial features on a Madonna and Child) and its inability to create realistic textures, like pizza. He contrasts this with the work of a human artist like Raphael. He also criticizes a second alleged ai-generated image, pointing out its depiction of figures as “cloaks and turbans” with “black holes” for heads and a bizarre chicken drumstick arm, questioning if KFC was a source.
Mathis believes the art contest itself at the Colorado State Fair and Rodeo is questionable, suggesting state fairs are not known for high-end art and that the win was in a specific digital category, not “best of show.” He dismisses the idea that the winning entry was truly generated by ai, suspecting it was painted by a human, possibly Jason Allen, and then manipulated. Mathis, with 35 years of experience in oils, asserts that computers cannot replicate the “oily quality” and “medium-on-surface effect” he observes. He argues that the satisfaction of creating art comes from real effort, not simulated production, comparing it to buying degrees or medals. He dismisses potential counter-arguments about witnessing the event, asserting the CIA could orchestrate elaborate fakes.
Ultimately, Mathis claims the ai art phenomenon benefits him by making his own work, which he describes as “dripping with emotion,” more rare and valuable as fewer people pursue traditional art skills. He sees the “fall of the Renaissance Man,” which he links to Modernism, as a long-standing trend orchestrated by “governors” to control willful individuals. However, he asserts he has survived this trend and is an anomaly, like a “golden unicorn” or the last “passenger pigeon,” whose value should be incalculable due to rarity. He sees the mainstream ignoring him as a positive, adding to his martyr status and turning the supposed threat of ai art into a “surefire backfire” for his “agents.” The article title, “The Rise of A.I. ‘Art’ Signals the Fall of the Renaissance Man,” is quoted. He refers to a previous article about Garry Kasparov and a Google engineer claiming ai sentience. He also mentions PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) as an analogy for manufactured controversies that drive sales.
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