Raw LLM Responses

Ugly or not is subjective. I think a lot of it is ugly, but there is some beautiful stuff too. As far as ethics go, it's a mix. AI isn't inherently unethical, but like any tool, it can be used in unethical ways. I feel that people are too quick to jump on the "AI is evil and taking our jobs" train and lose the nuance of the situation, but their concerns aren't completely unfounded. Ethical data gathering is essential for ethical use of AI art, and most AI art generators have not been practicing fully ethical data gathering. But, that doesn't mean it isn't possible or that no ethical AI exists. Most digital artists use it all the time without realizing it. Most layer filters in drawing programs, with the exception of simple flat filters, use some form of AI. I think it's important to remember that the reception to the introduction of standard digital art was similar to the current reception of AI. Digital artists were initially disavowed as "fake" artists who "use computers instead of skill" and "are replacing real artists". Today we understand that those claims are false, and that digital art simply opened up a new medium for people to express themselves with. The involvement of AI does not inherently make something good or bad, art or not art; it's simply a new medium and tool for people to express themselves with, for good or for ill. For an unethical example: my cousin pretends to be a painter and charges exorbitant prices to put people's reference photos into a poor quality AI image generator. She does not disclose, and even flat out denies, the involvement of AI. People come to her because they want paintings of their families and loved ones that they can hang in their homes or give as gifts and they don't know how to identify AI, thinking they are hiring an artist to do so and paying accordingly, but instead they get ugly AI generated images that look vaguely like them. (I've confronted her about it, but she hasn't changed her actions.) For ethical examples: Many digital artists use line/stroke smoothing when drawing. This part of the drawing programs often utilizes a lightweight AI. Many filters also use AI, so if someone wanted to apply a soft light filter to their photos or drawings, they would likely be utilizing AI. People may create AI images for personal use that they do not plan to sell and would not have bought human-created art for, like making cover pages for their school binders instead of doodling or using images from Google search.