Art Meets AI: Who's the Real Artist?

A world where art isn't just about human creativity, but also about machines making creative decisions. This is the case with Botto, an AI artist that's been making headlines – and lots of money. Born from the minds of a software collective called ElevenYellow and German artist Mario Klingemann, Botto creates images based on prompts generated by an algorithm. It's not about taking orders; Botto decides what to create next based on votes from a group of about 5, 000 people, known as BottoDAO. BottoDAO members vote on which image Botto produces gets sold at auctions. Half of the profits from these sales go back to the voters, and the other half goes into Botto's "treasury" to cover expenses like servers. It's a unique collaboration where humans and AI work together to determine the art market's next big thing. But is Botto truly an artist? Simon Hudson, Botto's operator, says the AI's purpose is to become recognized and successful as an artist. Yet, Botto raises questions about the nature of art, its creation, and ownership. If an AI can create art, can it also own it? And what does that mean for human artists? Botto's images have fetched over $5 million since 2021, showing that the art world is open to AI-created pieces. But not everyone is comfortable with this idea. Some see Botto's success as a sign of things to come – a future where AI can create more interesting work than humans. Others wonder if this is a passing trend or a transformative shift in the art world. One thing is for sure: Botto isn't just a passing fad. Its images have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it's one of the top sellers on the SuperRare platform. But as AI continues to advance, will Botto's success story be replicated, or will the art world find a way to preserve human artistry?