Dear Reader,
The internet has gone through a series of major evolutions over the last 40 years. From dial-up internet to wireless 5G. The dot-com boom to blockchain technologies.
Now in 2026, we’re experiencing the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has created a lot of concern in people. Movies like The Terminator and The Matrix haven’t exactly inspired confidence in a future that relies on these technologies.
One of the newest developments is “AI art”. Digital artwork created using artificial intelligence. This has sparked a strong reaction, with many people claiming that AI art is “not real art.” But that raises an important question: what actually defines real art?
Over the years, I’ve built a modest art collection. Some pieces I created myself, others I’ve purchased. Some are original paintings, while others are prints. A print is simply a reproduction of an original piece. So if I own a print instead of the original, does that make it fake? Does it make it any less real?
To understand AI art, we have to understand AI itself. Right now, AI has not reached artificial general intelligence (AGI). It cannot think independently or form original intent. Instead, it generates outputs based on patterns learned from existing human-created data. It doesn’t “think” like a human, it synthesizes what already exists.
That brings us back to AI art. When AI generates an image, it’s drawing from human-created work, similar to how human artists are inspired by other artists. The output may be new, but its foundation is still rooted in human creativity.
So is AI art real art? In practical terms, yes. A digital image created by AI, is just as real as one created by myself in design software. The medium doesn’t determine legitimacy. We already accept equivalents in other areas: lab-grown diamonds are still diamonds, and synthetic medications are still real medicine.
There’s also the concern that AI will replace artists. To some extent, that’s already happening, especially at the low-budget level. Individuals and small organizations are using AI to create logos and artwork they otherwise couldn’t afford. However in our experience, higher-budget clients still seek skilled human designers.
Human artists have a key advantage: originality and style driven by personal experience, perspective, and intent. AI cannot truly replicate that. It can imitate style, but it cannot create from lived experience or independent thought.
For now, that distinction matters, and it’s what will continue to separate human artists from AI-generated work.
Kyle J Radatz
Founder & President
Daybreak Enterprises
CLE OH
Make it count.