Swedish Artist Swanson Halts AI Art, Writes Screenplay Amid Burnout

In the world where artificial intelligence (AI) brushes against the canvas of creativity, the resulting artwork is often as awe-inspiring as it is contentious. As we grapple with the complex tapestry of ethics and limitations woven into the fabric of AI-assisted art, an artist’s retreat from the AI art scene underscores these very challenges.

Steph Maj Swanson, an American-born artist and writer based in Sweden, whose pseudonym Supercomposite became synonymous with “Loab”—a strangely evocative AI-created character—has taken a step back, eschewing AI tools in favor of penning a screenplay. Loab’s haunting visage, which emerged from Swanson’s exploration of AI-generated art in 2022, carved a viral path across social media platforms, stirring extended debates about aesthetics and the fusion of technology and art.

AI tools, such as the AI images generator and other similar platforms, have unlocked possibilities previously confined to the human imagination, allowing creators to translate textual prompts into visually tangible art. Swanson’s journey with Loab began when she experimented with “negative prompts,” resulting in an image diametrically opposed to a symbol initially akin to Marlon Brando. This process unpredictably gave birth to Loab—a figure reminiscent of a suspenseful cinematic specter.

Swanson’s continued interaction with generative AI revealed an eerie phenomenon, the spectral figure of Loab seemed to resurrect itself amidst the imagery lineage after strategic disappearances, frequently depicted in unsettling, often gory, contexts against the company of children.

In a move to shield the public from the most shocking iterations, Swanson curated what she released into the digital ether. Fascination with Loab catapulted the artist into an immersive exploration of the character’s potential and boundaries, a journey that, while initially thrilling, ultimately led to a state of creative exhaustion.

While Supercomposite’s account with Loab has garnered significant attention, fostering latest AI news & insights, it also raises questions about the transparency of AI art creation and what becomes of the artist in this equation.

The ethical implications are vast. From the AI video generator to the AI text generator, these tools, while revolutionary, operate within a gray area, blurring the lines between human creatorship and machine execution. Despite the omnipresence of AI tools in today’s artistic processes, there remains a shroud of mystery in how exactly AI interprets abstract prompts, making the inner workings of these creations an enigma.

Swanson consciously chose not to disclose the specific tool used for creating Loab, focusing the conversation on art rather than technology. Yet her conserved anonymity on this matter has not stopped the online world from speculating, some going as far as to suggest that Swanson adorned her creations, proposing the idea that Loab could be the product of internet lore created to stir a digital haunting.

Acknowledging the accusations that Loab might be a digital tampering as a compliment—believing it meant her work was engaging—Swanson has come across the inherent duality of using AI tools. They can fascinate and consume, spark inspiration yet also bring about artistic fatigue.

Despite the novel allure of AI in art creation, dilemmas persist. As artificial intelligence generated images continue to evolve and astonish, we must consider whether this technological marvel steers us towards uncharted, potentially problematic areas of ethical conundrums and creative culpabilities.

Quoting Nam June Paik, Swanson voiced a complex relationship with technology: “I use technology in order to hate it properly.” This sentiment encapsulates the paradox that artists like herself face—embracing AI’s potentialities while confronting the limitations and unforeseen effects of its use.

As individuals, companies, and industries lean into AI for its expansive capabilities, Supercomposite serves as a beacon of reflection, reminding us of the importance of mindful engagement with these tools. As we probe the union of AI and art, it’s critical to ponder not only the remarkable products of this collaboration but also the profound ramifications that accompany this melding of human intuition with machine intelligence.