What AI Means for Traditional Artists — And Why We Should Care
I’ll be honest—when I first started hearing about artists using AI, my gut reaction wasn’t excitement. It was suspicion. Maybe even a little fear. After all, I’ve spent my life working with my hands—mixing pigments, layering textures, building something real from silence and space. So the idea of a machine generating “art” in seconds? It felt like a threat. A shortcut. A lie.
But over time, I realized something else: AI isn’t going away. And more importantly, the people leading the conversation around art and AI... don’t look like me. They’re not painters. They’re likely not feminists. They’re not rooted in our community. And they’re definitely not thinking about how this technology intersects with values like authorship, intention, or care.
So I decided to step in. Not because I want to replace my brushes with bots, but because I believe traditional artists—especially feminist artists—belong in this conversation. If we ignore it, we don’t slow it down. We just let other people decide what the future of creativity looks like.
This Isn’t the End of Art — It’s a New Chapter
The truth is, AI isn’t here to erase artists. But it is challenging us to think differently. It’s asking us: what is creativity really? What is style, voice, authorship? And what happens when tools evolve faster than institutions do?
For painters, printmakers, sculptors—anyone who works in physical media—this can feel like a hard pivot. We didn’t sign up to become tech influencers. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t engage. In fact, it might be more important because we’re not from that world.
As a feminist artist, I see this moment as a critical opening. We’ve always been the ones to challenge power, to question who gets to speak, to take up space where we’re not expected. This is no different.
How I Made Peace With AI (Without Selling Out)
When I first started experimenting with AI tools—mostly language models and a few visual generators—I set clear boundaries. I wasn’t going to let the tool dictate my work. I wasn’t going to copy or replicate anyone else’s style. I was here to explore. To use AI like a paintbrush, not a substitute.
What I found surprised me. It wasn’t about automation or shortcuts. It was about perspective.
AI helped me step outside of my habits. It offered variations I wouldn’t have considered. It pushed me to articulate my creative process more clearly—because if I wanted the tool to assist, I had to communicate with intention.
It didn’t replace me. It revealed me.
Let’s Talk About What AI Can’t Do
There’s a lot of hype around AI art. And yes, some of it is impressive. But here’s what these tools still can’t do:
They can’t feel.
They can’t rebel.
They can’t hold context across time.
They can’t make meaning rooted in lived experience.
They can remix. They can simulate. But the depth—the soul—still comes from the human behind the prompt.
So when someone asks, “Is AI art real art?” I don’t argue. I just ask: Who made it? Because the question isn’t about the tool—it’s about the intention.
Why Feminist Artists Should Care
This moment in tech isn’t neutral. AI tools are built on datasets. Those datasets reflect bias. They reflect who was seen, who was recorded, who was celebrated—and who was erased.
As feminist artists, we know how systems overlook and flatten our stories. We know how hard we’ve fought to carve space for our visions. So the idea that a tool trained on decades of patriarchal, colonial, commercial imagery could now define what “art” is? That’s not just annoying—it’s dangerous.
But here’s the thing: we can push back. We can question the tools. We can train our own datasets. We can advocate for ethics, transparency, and accessibility. But only if we’re in the room.
A Call to the Artists Who Still Work With Their Hands
If you’re a traditional painter, sculptor, printmaker, or multi-media maker who feels unsure about AI—you're not alone. I wrote this blog series because I wanted to give us a bridge. Not a replacement, not a prescription. Just a way in.
Let’s stay curious. Let’s ask better questions. Let’s shape the future with the same fire and clarity that shaped our canvases.
Because no matter how powerful a tool becomes, it will always need someone with a vision—and a voice—to guide it.
Want More?
This post is part of a 15-part blog series based on my upcoming book, AI for Artists. If you’re curious, skeptical, or cautiously excited about where AI is headed—and how it intersects with feminist values, tradition, and art—stay tuned.
You can subscribe for updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and free chapter previews at FeministART.ca.
Let’s build this future together.
— Monica
