Today, I want to talk openly about AI, artificial intelligence, and its role in art. We are probably one of the very few art studios that discusses this topic without fear or hesitation. Many artists and studios consider this subject a taboo and wish to get away from positive talk over this controversial subject. Everywhere you look — forums, blogs, artist communities — the conversation is the same: “AI is bad,” “AI will destroy art,” “AI is fake.” But let’s be honest. Thanks to AI, you and I are even able to have this conversation right now. The breakthroughs of the last two years have been enormous.
The World Is Changing Faster Than We Can Adapt
The world never stops evolving. Art first, we had computers, then the internet, mobile phones, smartphones, and cloud technology. Now it’s shifting toward AI. Sometimes I wonder what my own children should study, because AI already knows how to write, draw, program, translate, compose music, and create videos. In a few years, it will likely handle even more. But that’s not the core issue. The real question is what AI means for art.
How Art Has Always Evolved With New Tools
When my father, Leonid Afremov, was alive, AI did not exist. Let’s look back at how paintings were created in the past. In Van Gogh’s era, artists practiced plain air painting. They carried an easel, paints, and canvas outside and worked directly from nature — rain, wind, mosquitoes and any surroundings. That was considered “true art.”
Then photography arrived. By the 1970s and 80s, artists began using cameras. They traveled, took reference photos, and returned to the comfort of their studios to paint. No more fighting the elements and working at the mercy of the weather. My father worked this way too, and it quickly became normal.
In the early 2000s, digital photography and Photoshop entered the scene. Artists started editing images, adjusting colors, building collages, and creating mixed-media works. They printed bases and painted over them. Once again, people adapted. What was once criticized as “not real art” became widely accepted.Now AI has arrived — and the pattern continues.
How We Use AI at Afremov Studio
In our studio, artists are not only allowed to use AI — we built our own custom AI system specifically for our needs. It was not cheap, and this system does not simply copy the Afremov style (that would be boring). Instead, it learns each artist’s individual preferences: their sense of cubism, favorite forms, compositions, and color structures.
Here’s how it works in practice:
The artist writes a clear concept — describing the mood, composition, subject, and colors. The AI generates visualizations and ideas. Then the artist takes those references and paints the final artwork by hand in oil. AI participates in the process, but the final painting is still created physically by a human artist. And I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Here you can see some paintings created based on AI generated Ideas.
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AI Is a Tool, Not a Replacement
I see this as evolution, not the death of art. People always fear new tools. When artists first used cameras, critics screamed, “That’s not real art — you’re just copying photographs!” The same thing happened with Photoshop. Yet here we are.
AI excels at balancing composition, selecting harmonious colors, exploring visual ideas quickly, and testing concepts. It helps artists work faster and more efficiently. It doesn’t replace them — it empowers them.
Benefits for Buyers and Collectors
This approach also benefits customers. Without AI, an artist might spend an entire week struggling with the composition alone, driving up the price of the painting. The price normally is based on spent time to make the artwork rather than cost of materials alone. With AI handling the heavy lifting on concepts, the artist works faster, the painting costs less, and the customer receives the same (or better) quality.
Some worry that using AI reduces collector value. Honestly, most modern paintings already have limited collector interest while the artist is alive. The art market has always been unpredictable. Whether an artist uses AI as a tool or not doesn’t change the fundamental reality: the human still creates the final artwork. AI does not hold the brush. AI does not feel the paint. AI does not make the thousands of tiny decisions that happen during the physical act of painting. It helps imagine and visualize — nothing more.
This Is the Future of Art
I don’t see AI as a threat. I see it as the next natural stage in the evolution of art — just like photography, Photoshop, digital tools, and mixed media once were.
These tools once seemed terrifying too. Today they are normal.
If you disagree with me, that’s wonderful.
Write your thoughts in the comments. I genuinely enjoy these debates.
AI in art is only beginning, and the world isn’t going backward. The artists and studios that learn to use this powerful new tool wisely will shape the future and I’m excited to be part of it.
Please watch this video that we made about AI in art