When Robots Pick Up a Paintbrush (and a Camera)

by Arooj Fatima

If you’ve scrolled Instagram lately, you’ve probably been ambushed by AI-generated “masterpieces”: dreamy portraits, cosmic cats playing the violin, and designs that look like they belong in a gallery. All created in seconds, no coffee stains on the sketchbook. With a few typed prompts, these tools can churn out what once took artists weeks. It’s exciting… and a little unnerving.

But real art has always been about more than just the final image. It carries the story of the artist’s journey; the sketches, the missteps, the late nights, and the small triumphs that go into creating something unique. A painting, a photograph, or a sculpture is infused with the maker’s intent, emotion, and lived experience. As a photographer, I know half the magic is in crouching at odd angles, waiting for the light, and hoping no one walks into your frame. The process of patience, risk, and joy is what makes art feel alive. That human touch gives it depth, and for many of us, that’s where the magic lies.

AI art, by contrast, is built on patterns from millions of existing works. It doesn’t feel joy, frustration, or the panic of realizing your SD card is still in the laptop at home. It simply recombines what it’s been fed. Yet, it’s also a tool, similar to a lens, or a software, or a new kind of paintbrush. In the right hands, it can spark ideas, speed up workflows, or open doors for people who never thought they were “creative” enough.

Maybe the real question isn’t AI vs. real art but how we’ll blend the two. Just as photography once shocked painters and then became its own respected art form, AI is another medium we can use to stretch our imaginations. The heart of art is storytelling, meaning and connection, and it still (and will always) belong to the human who frames, curates, and gives it context.

As the art world evolves, perhaps the real question isn’t AI vs. real art, but how we’ll blend the two to create something entirely new. So next time you see a flawless AI image, don’t panic. Think of it as a new kind of camera: powerful, but only as creative as the person clicking the shutter.