Nairobi hawker Mutui Kitana has recently been spending considerable time in the affluent Kileleshwa district.
He is part of a growing group of street vendors engaged in the emerging market of art generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
This AI art, produced using text-to-image models such as OpenAI’s DALL-E and Google’s Imagen, is printed, framed, and sold throughout the city, including busy traffic areas.
Kitana and his peers are increasingly profiting from what he refers to as ‘machine-made’ art. Each piece is sold for between Ksh 5,000 and Ksh 8,000, a significant increase from the Ksh 700 they pay to a seller based in Githurai.
Kitana reports an average sale of two pieces per day.
“Customers still prefer hand-drawn paintings; some who know the difference have been telling us to stop selling these machine-made paintings. Others do not tell the difference and love my pieces. They keep coming back for more,” he explained.
How photographers can use AI to make art
Photographers can leverage AI in several ways to enhance their artistic creations.
One of the primary applications is in image editing and enhancement.
AI tools can automatically adjust lighting, colors, and sharpness, helping photographers refine their images quickly.
Features such as background removal and object recognition streamline the editing process, allowing for more efficient workflows.
Another exciting application is style transfer, where AI applies the stylistic elements of one image—like a painting—to a photograph.
This capability enables photographers to create unique blends of photography and other art forms, expanding their creative possibilities.
Additionally, generative art tools, such as GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks), can produce new images based on specific input parameters. Photographers can use these outputs for inspiration or incorporate them directly into their work.
AI also excels at generating textures, patterns, or backgrounds that photographers can integrate into their projects, enhancing their creative toolkit.
Furthermore, it can automate repetitive tasks like tagging, organizing, and cataloging images, which allows photographers to focus more on the artistic aspects of their work.