AI art refers to digital works created using artificial intelligence. In the provided context, however, the term is used broadly rather than as a single fixed category. What is commonly called “generative AI” today is described as an output system based on machine learning, especially large deep-learning models trained on massive datasets. Such systems optimize outputs according to given data, objectives, and evaluation criteria, and their internal representations and decision-making processes are often difficult for humans to interpret, making them effectively black boxes.
The context also presents a critical and conceptual view of AI art. In some practices, AI is not treated merely as an automatic image generator, but as a conceptual medium for abstracting and visualizing an artist’s ideas. In legal and institutional debates, human agency remains important: the construction of datasets, customization of algorithms, deliberate disruption of models, and selection of final outputs are all emphasized as part of the creative process. The context further distinguishes AI from ALife: AI-based generation is described as more top-down, while ALife systems such as cellular automata generate changing visual and sonic phenomena through repeated local rules and bottom-up interaction.