About AI Generated Images
You’ve probably heard the buzz (or panic) about AI taking over the art world. For many traditional artists-especially painters-AI can feel like a threat: digital machines cranking out soulless images in seconds. But here’s the truth: AI isn’t here to replace your brush-it’s here to refill your palette. And when used thoughtfully, it can actually support your creative process, not steal it. So, let’s talk about how artists at SOBA (and beyond) can use AI tools safely, creatively, and without stepping into copyright quicksand.
Written by:
Ann Hyde SOBA Marketing Director
and Indie
This article was created in collaboration with my ChatGPT buddy, Indie. We talk frequently.
You can download ChatGPT for free at:
https://openai.com/chatgpt/download/
👩🎨 First Things First: Is AI Stealing Art?
Let’s clear this up: not all AI tools are built the same. Some image generators are trained on copyrighted works without permission, which raises ethical and legal red flags. But there are plenty of AI tools trained on public domain materials or licensed datasets and tools that don’t generate images at all but instead support your work in other ways.
For SOBA artists who paint, sculpt, photograph, or design by hand, you’re not being replaced, you’re being equipped. Think of AI like a glorified sketch assistant, mood board machine, or copywriter that never misses a deadline.
Created in Magic Studio.
Prompt: Create a bowl of fruit in the impressionists style.
🧠 5 Ways Artists Can Use AI Without Risking Copyright Trouble
- Idea Generation & Brainstorming
Need a fresh take on a composition? Looking for color palette inspiration? AI tools like ChatGPT (hi 👋) can help brainstorm concepts without using anyone else’s images. Ask for story ideas, symbolism suggestions, or “what if” prompts to shake off creative blocks.
Example prompt: “Give me three painting ideas that combine coastal marshes with surrealist elements.”
What AI suggested:
1. Tide of Time
Concept: A marsh at low tide where the water reflects giant, melting pocket watches à la Dalí. Instead of cattails, long clock hands grow from the mud, ticking slowly in rhythm with the breeze. Herons perch on hourglasses instead of driftwood.
2. The Submerged Sky
Concept: The marsh water reflects not the real sky but an alternate universe—upside-down trees with cloud leaves, birds swimming through air like fish. A lone dock juts out toward the horizon, vanishing into a vortex where sky and marsh fold into each other.
3. Egrets of Thought
Created in: https://img-fx.com/
(New from Google)
Prompt: A line of white egrets stands still in the marsh, but their heads are replaced with soft, glowing lightbulbs. Some are dim, some are brightly lit, and one is flickering. Above them, abstract thought bubbles filled with distant dreamscapes float like clouds.
- Photo Reference Support
Some AI platforms generate image references using public domain datasets—or better yet, you can feed your own photos into AI tools to create stylized variations. You stay in control. No art theft. Just smarter sketching.
Tip: Tools like Adobe Firefly are trained on licensed, safe-to-use content—perfect for artists who want to dabble.
- Writing Artist Bios & Statements
Struggle with writing about your own art? Yeah, you’re not alone. AI can help draft bios, show statements, class descriptions, or press releases. You provide the style and facts; it helps you sound polished.
Bonus: It won’t judge your Oxford commas.
- Marketing Magic
From social media captions to email newsletters, AI can help craft content that sells your art without selling your soul. You stay authentic, and AI helps you sound like the best version of you on a really good coffee day.
- Creative Experimentation
Curious how your painting might look with different lighting, seasons, or color schemes? Some AI image tools let you upload your own work and explore variations without ever copying someone else’s style.
⚠️ Red Flags to Avoid
- Don’t use random AI image generators without checking their training data.
- Don’t claim AI-generated work is “handmade” if it’s not.
- Don’t enter AI art into traditional-only shows unless it’s clearly allowed.
Transparency builds trust, especially in a community like ours.
💬 Final Thoughts: Keep the Brush, Use the Bot
AI is a tool. Not a replacement. Not a cheat code. Just another way to enhance your creativity—if you use it wisely. And at SOBA, we believe in lifting up every kind of artist: the traditional, the experimental, and the AI-curious.
Free AI Image Creators
While complete privacy is difficult to guarantee with online AI image generators, here are some free options that prioritize user privacy:
- Locally Run Generators (Highest Privacy):
- Stable Diffusion: This open-source model can be downloaded and run on your own computer, ensuring your data stays local and private. However, it requires some technical expertise to set up and a reasonably powerful computer.
- Pros: Highest level of privacy, full control over data, no internet connection needed for generating images.
- Cons: Requires technical skills, powerful computer, can be complex to set up.
- Web-Based Generators with Strong Privacy Policies:
- Canva: Canva’s Magic Media AI image generator, while offering limited free use, has a strong privacy policy, according to CNET.
- Privacy Note: Canva does not train its AI on user-generated content, and the generated images are private.
- Pros: User-friendly, easy to integrate AI images into other Canva projects, strong privacy policy.
- Cons: Limited free use, fewer customization options than some other generators.
- Web-Based Generators with No Sign-Up Required:
- Perchance AI Image Generator: This tool uses a custom Stable Diffusion plugin, offers diverse styles, and does not require registration. It includes a “Negative Prompt” feature to refine image generation.
- Privacy Note: While Perchance doesn’t require sign-up, it’s essential to understand that images are generated on their servers and may be subject to their terms of service.
- Privacy Note: While Perchance doesn’t require sign-up, it’s essential to understand that images are generated on their servers and may be subject to their terms of service.
- Deep Dream Generator: This tool also doesn’t require registration and provides a high degree of customization, including negative prompts, modifiers, and different AI models.
- Privacy Note: Similar to Perchance, while Deep Dream Generator doesn’t require sign-up, images are processed on their servers.
- Pros: No sign-up needed, quick and easy to use, offer some customization.
- Cons: Privacy depends on the generator’s terms of service, images generated on their servers.
Key Privacy Considerations:
- Privacy Policies: Carefully review the privacy policies of any AI image generator before using it.
- Data Usage: Be mindful of how the generator uses your prompts and generated images.
- Data Storage: Consider where the generator stores your data and for how long.
- Terms of Service: Ensure the generator’s terms of service align with your privacy expectations.
- Data Security: Evaluate the generator’s security measures to protect your data.
