A prestigious portrait competition has defended allowing entrants to submit artwork generated by artificial intelligence, arguing art is not stagnant and should reflect societal change. 

The Brisbane Portrait Prize – with a top prize worth $50,0000 – has been described as Queensland’s answer to the Arc. The spokesperson said the competition would determine ownership of the work based on the processes used and the terms of the AI program behind it. When entering, artists must declare they have full copyright over the entry. 

In the terms and conditions of entry, the Brisbane Portrait Prize notes this year that it will accept entries “completed in whole or in part by generative artificial intelligence” so long as the artwork is original and “entirely completed and owned outright” by the entrant. 

A spokesperson for the prize told Guardian Australia that allowing AI entries acknowledged the definition of art was not stagnant and would always grow. 

The spokesperson said in the past, more traditional artists had objected to digital and photographic entries being allowed – which are now generally accepted in the art world. 

The spokesperson added that, as technology continues to adapt and integrate into our society, it has already opened the door for artists with a disability to be included thanks to the use of assistive technology, and we see the use of AI tools and methodologies as the next stage in this. 

The Brisbane Portrait Prize spokesperson said if the artist had contributed “sufficient independent intellectual effort” in creating the work, it would likely be protected by copyright. 

Source: Guardian