# Is AI Art Another Industrial Revolution in the Making?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.05133 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.05133/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 35 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 12 Jan 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [Hierarchical Text-Conditional Image Generation with CLIP Latents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.06125/) (2022)
- [Zero-Shot Text-to-Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.12092/) (2021)
- [DreamBooth: Fine Tuning Text-to-Image Diffusion Models for Subject-Driven Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.12242/) (2022)
- [Beyond the Imitation Game: Quantifying and extrapolating the capabilities of language models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.04615/) (2022)
- [How well can Text-to-Image Generative Models understand Ethical Natural Language Interventions?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15230/) (2022)
- [NL-Augmenter: A Framework for Task-Sensitive Natural Language Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.02721/) (2021)
- [Biases in Generative Art -- A Causal Look from the Lens of Art History](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.13266/) (2020)
- [What We Can Learn From Visual Artists About Software Development](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.11218/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [On the Creativity of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.00008/) (2023)
- [Combining Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet: Heading towards Evolution or Degradation?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.01255/) (2023)
- [Creative Beam Search: LLM-as-a-Judge For Improving Response Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.00099/) (2024)
- [AI Imagery and the Overton Window](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.00080/) (2023)
- [Where is my Glass Slipper? AI, Poetry and Art](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05781/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

A major shift from skilled to unskilled workers was one of the many changes caused by the Industrial Revolution, when the switch to machines contributed to decline in the social and economic status of artisans, whose skills were dismembered into discrete actions by factory-line workers. We consider what may be an analogous computing technology: the recent introduction of AI-generated art software. AI art generators such as Dall-E and Midjourney can create fully rendered images based solely on a user's prompt, just at the click of a button. Some artists fear if the cheaper price and conveyor-belt speed that comes with AI-produced images is seen as an improvement to the current system, it may permanently change the way society values/views art and artists. In this article, we consider the implications that AI art generation introduces through a post-industrial revolution historical lens. We then reflect on the analogous issues that appear to arise as a result of the AI art revolution, and we conclude that the problems raised mirror those of industrialization, giving a vital glimpse into what may lie ahead.