Ep 25: AI, Fine Art & the Human Story – A Deep Dive with Alice Absolutely

In this thought-provoking episode of The AI Grapple, host Kate vanderVoort sits down with Amanda McCallister, the creative force behind Alice Absolutely, to explore the intersection of AI and fine art. Alice shares how she uses AI as a true artistic collaborator rather than a replacement, the ethical dilemmas she has encountered, and how AI-generated art reflects deep-seated human biases.

From her discovery of AI’s unexpected storytelling through image generation to her upcoming book on AI and the Art of War, Amanda challenges our understanding of authorship, creativity, and artistic ownership in the AI era. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the future of AI in the creative industries.

Key Topics & Insights 🎨 AI as a Creative Partner, Not a Replacement

• Amanda explains how she treats AI as a collaborator, much like working with another artist in a traditional setting.
• Unlike those who use AI to generate “perfect” images, she gives AI minimal input - sometimes just a punctuation mark - to see how it responds.
• She manually refines and completes each piece, ensuring a unique artistic touch.

💡 The Unexpected Biases Hidden in AI Art

• Amanda’s experiments revealed that AI-generated images reflect collective human biases.
• When prompting AI with words like Dresden, Vietnam, or Afghanistan, the results overwhelmingly depicted war-torn landscapes - even when no context was provided.
• This led to her upcoming book, Artificial Intelligence and the Art of War, which explores how AI-generated art exposes historical and cultural biases.

🎭 The Debate on Authorship and Ownership

• AI-generated content raises questions about what it truly means to “own” a piece of art.
• Alice shares why she only sells her AI works as one-of-a-kind originals - no prints or NFTs - keeping them aligned with fine art traditions.
• She argues that AI doesn’t replace artists because it still requires human intervention to create a finished, compelling composition.

🚀 AI’s Role in the Future of Art & Creativity

• Alice believes AI is democratizing creativity, giving more people access to artistic expression.
• She embraces AI’s ability to inspire new artists rather than fearing that AI-generated art will diminish human creativity.
• Looking ahead, she’s excited about AI’s advancements in video, predicting a revolution in visual storytelling.

🔍 Authenticity & Transparency in AI-Generated Art

• Alice is clear about labelling her work as AI-assisted, believing transparency is crucial to maintaining trust.
• She warns against the backlash that companies and creators may face if they deceive audiences about AI involvement.
• Her philosophy: AI art is part of the human story - it’s not about replacing artists, but about how we choose to use this technology.

Memorable Quotes

🖼️ "AI doesn’t replace artists [space - space] it reveals what we, as a society, have taught it about ourselves." 🧠 "If we fear AI, maybe it’s because we don’t like what it reflects back at us." 📖 "Every piece of AI-generated art is a mirror of human history, biases, and stories we’ve told." 🎭 "Once we create art, we don’t own it anymore - it’s up to the world to interpret and appreciate it."

Connect with Alice Absolutely (Amanda McCallister)

🌐 Website: AliceAbsolutely.com 📷 Instagram: @AliceAbsolutely 📘 Facebook: AliceAbsolutely

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