There should be no Computer Art (1971)

What Counts as Art? Emotion, Intent, and Humanity

• Multiple competing definitions appear:
  • Art as “whatever evokes emotion” is criticized as overbroad (stubbing a toe or mountains would qualify).
  • Others insist on intent: art is a deliberate expression, not just anything that causes feelings.
  • Some argue art must be human-made; others see that as arbitrary and emphasize the viewer’s experience or social consensus (“it’s art if people generally agree it is”).
• Debate over whether personhood is required on the creator side, or whether the audience’s interpretation is enough.

Nature, AI, and Non‑Human “Creators”

• One camp: nature is not art because there is no human intention, though it inspires art.
• Another camp: people casually describe landscapes as “works of art”; insisting on human creation is seen as semantic gatekeeping.
• Similar split for AI:
  • Some say AI outputs are not art because the system lacks intent and personhood; the human using it is at best a commissioner.
  • Others say if a human uses AI as a tool to communicate something, the result can be art.

Computer Art as Tool Use vs. Co‑Creation

• Several artists describe computers as tools like brushes, cameras, or power saws: powerful, but not co‑authors.
• Generative and procedural work (e.g., code making gas‑giant images, mathematical patterns) is defended as human art, even when results are partly unpredictable.
• Frustration is expressed with audiences assuming “the computer did it” and discounting digital artists’ labor and design.
• Some see AI art as “easier execution” that raises output and competition rather than negating talent.

Conceptual Art, the Banana, and NFTs

• The taped banana is discussed as:
  • Satire of ownership and fungibility, closely analogized to NFTs and certificates of authenticity.
  • Derivative of earlier conceptual movements (e.g., Dada), yet still useful for provoking questions.
• Long subthread on NFTs:
  • Supporters frame them as provenance/ownership records that could be tied to legal contracts and broader asset tracking (including debts).
  • Critics argue that without enforceable legal rights, or given anyone can mint a competing token, NFTs add little beyond hype.
  • Some worry that making such systems too “reliable” would worsen a debt‑collection dystopia.

Politics, Morality, and the Purpose of Art (Nake’s Thesis)

• Several readers interpret the 1971 essay as arguing that:
  • There is “no need” for more autonomous art; art should serve political/moral ends (e.g., films about wealth distribution) rather than aesthetics alone.
  • Computer art is suspect when it produces aesthetic effects for profit, but acceptable when it serves communication with political content.
• Some see this as subordinating art to ideology, akin to religious patronage; others agree that art that “only” explores style can be trivial.

History Repeating: New Media and Backlash

• Commenters note earlier resistance to oil painting, photography, modernism, and video games as art; computer art is seen as the latest iteration.
• Others push back that “not everything new and criticized is therefore good” (citing the metaverse, chemical warfare).
• Example: early digital artists and game designers were told they weren’t “real” artists, paralleling current AI debates.

AI, Originality, and the Art Market

• Some expect AI to increase the value of unique physical works: originals with provenance (paintings, sculpture) remain scarce even if perfectly copyable.
• Digital/computer pieces are seen as more easily commoditized and less likely to command high direct prices.
• There’s concern that AI‑driven commodification plus market incentives could flood the world with shallow imagery while leaving basic human suffering untouched.

Art vs. Craft and Skill

• Distinction made between craft (technical mastery, meticulous rendering) and art (concept, communication, intention).
• Computer tools can supercharge craft (precision, speed, simulation), but many commenters care more about the ideas and meanings conveyed than technical virtuosity alone.