I’M SHADY ART DEALER

The Art and Ethics of AI: A Critical Exploration by Lilith Lee

What AI Art Means to Me

My exploration of AI art under the moniker Shady Art Dealer marks an exciting evolution in my creative journey. AI art captivates me because it challenges traditional notions of creativity and expands the possibilities of artistic expression. As someone deeply invested in both traditional and digital mediums, I see AI as a collaborative tool—one that doesn’t replace creativity but enhances it, allowing me to push artistic boundaries in new and unconventional ways.

More than that, AI art is deeply personal. As a disabled, Black, and plus-size artist, traditional art spaces have often failed to represent people like me. AI gives me the freedom to create the representation I rarely see—fat bodies in beautiful, surreal, and powerful contexts, Black people depicted with the richness and complexity they deserve, and art that is shaped by my unique vision rather than industry norms.

My background also plays a huge role in how I engage with AI art. I hold a BFA in Graphic Design from George Mason University and spent years working in traditional and digital media before transitioning into AI-driven work. My time in the art world made me acutely aware of the barriers marginalized artists face, and rather than rejecting AI outright, I see it as an opportunity to dismantle those barriers from within. My perspective on AI isn’t black and white—something I attribute to my autistic sense of justice. AI isn’t inherently good or evil; rather, it’s a tool being wielded within an unjust system. To me, the real fight isn’t about stopping AI—it’s about taking down capitalism. AI is punk as fuck, and I’m using it in the most rebellious way possible: to create art on my own terms and advocate for artists in the process.

How AI Art Actually Works (and Why It’s Not Theft)

There’s a lot of misinformation about how AI art is created, with many people believing AI "steals" from artists. The reality is more complex. AI models don’t store, copy, or retrieve specific images. Instead, they analyze large datasets of publicly available images, learning patterns, textures, and styles in a way similar to how human artists learn from studying art history, reference materials, and visual culture.

When I create AI art, I am not "stealing" anyone’s work—I am building my own models trained on my own sketches, color palettes, artistic themes, and references. This ensures that my work is uniquely mine, shaped by my hands and my creative process. The AI isn’t generating random images; it’s responding to my inputs, my training, and my vision.

However, I do believe that consent matters. While I personally train AI on my own art, I recognize that many AI companies have scraped artwork from the internet without artists' permission. This is where ethical concerns arise. AI should not be trained on proprietary, paywalled, or private artwork without consent, and artists should have clear options to opt in or out. I support greater transparency in AI training and fair compensation for artists whose work contributes to datasets.

The Racial Bias in AI (and the Art World)

As a Black artist, I am intimately familiar with the racial biases embedded in AI—and in the art world at large. AI models, like all technologies, inherit the biases of the datasets they are trained on. Because most datasets are overwhelmingly filled with white-centric images, AI struggles to accurately generate Black and brown faces, often distorting features, lightening skin tones, or erasing us altogether.

This isn’t just an AI problem—it’s a reflection of how art history, media, and technology have marginalized Black artists for centuries. Traditional art institutions have long centered whiteness as the default standard of beauty and artistic value. AI is simply amplifying the racial bias that already exists.

This is why my work actively reclaims space for Black representation in AI. By training models on images of Black people, my own artwork, and carefully curated datasets, I ensure that my AI art reflects the vibrancy, depth, and diversity of Blackness. I also challenge AI biases by intentionally creating fat, dark-skinned, and non-Eurocentric bodies in my work—something AI struggles to do on its own.

Fat Representation in AI Art

As a plus-size artist, I’m deeply aware of how fat bodies are erased, distorted, or villainized in both traditional and digital art. AI models, trained on beauty standards that prioritize thinness, often struggle to generate fat bodies in ways that are accurate, beautiful, and nuanced.

This is why I take control of my AI-generated work. Instead of letting AI impose society’s biases, I train my models to celebrate fat bodies as strong, elegant, sensual, and dynamic. My AI art isn’t about adhering to mainstream beauty standards—it’s about reshaping them.

The Ethics of AI, Business, and Capitalism

AI art exists within a capitalist framework that prioritizes profit over ethics, often at the expense of artists and workers. Large corporations, such as Adobe, have attempted to change their terms of service to claim ownership over user-generated content, integrating it into their AI training datasets without explicit consent. This exploitative practice strips creators of their rights and commodifies their labor without fair compensation. The ethical issue extends beyond Adobe—many AI models are trained on datasets that include copyrighted material without permission, raising serious concerns about consent, ownership, and fair use.

Furthermore, the automation of creative work threatens to devalue human artistry while simultaneously profiting from it. AI-generated content is often used by companies to cut costs, reducing the demand for human artists while still capitalizing on the appeal of art. This mirrors broader capitalist trends where technological advancements are used to maximize profits for corporations rather than to empower workers. Ethical AI development should prioritize transparency, consent, and fair compensation to ensure that AI serves as a tool for artists rather than a means of exploitation.

Artists should have control over how their work is used, and AI should not be weaponized against them. Ethical AI use means transparency, consent, and fair compensation. Without these safeguards, AI will continue to be a tool for corporate exploitation rather than a means of artistic expansion.

AI’s Environmental Impact

AI art, like all AI technologies, has a significant environmental footprint due to the vast computational power required for training large models. Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, contributing to carbon emissions and environmental degradation. The energy demands of AI training are comparable to those of entire countries, raising concerns about sustainability.

However, advancements like DeepSeek have made AI more environmentally efficient. DeepSeek reduces energy consumption and operational costs by optimizing training methods, making AI more accessible and less resource-intensive. Additionally, DeepSeek's open-source model disrupts the U.S. monopoly on AI development, democratizing access to powerful technology. This shift not only makes AI more sustainable but also ensures that innovation isn't controlled by a handful of tech giants.

While AI's environmental impact remains a concern, developments like DeepSeek highlight the potential for more responsible AI practices. The focus should be on improving efficiency, reducing waste, and ensuring that AI benefits society rather than serving only the interests of major corporations.

How to Identify AI Art

For those concerned about AI art being passed off as traditional work, there are some telltale signs:

• Oddly rendered hands and faces – AI struggles with fingers, teeth, and expressions.

• Inconsistent lighting and textures – AI sometimes creates unnatural light sources or inconsistent brushstrokes.

• Distorted text – AI is notoriously bad at generating legible text in images.

• Overly smooth or painterly skin – AI-generated faces often have a plastic-like quality.

AI art detection tools are improving, but human intuition remains the best method. Transparency is key—labeling AI art benefits both artists and audiences.

The Pros and Cons of AI Art Today

Like any tool, AI has strengths and limitations. Here’s a balanced look at where AI art stands right now:

Pros ✅

• Accessibility – AI allows disabled artists, neurodivergent creators, and those with physical limitations to create without traditional barriers.

• New Creative Possibilities – AI can spark ideas, generate unexpected forms, and push artists into new territories.

• Challenging Artistic Norms – AI disrupts elitist gatekeeping in the art world, making art creation more democratic.

• Speed and Efficiency – AI allows artists to quickly generate concepts, prototypes, and iterations.

Cons ❌

• Bias and Representation Issues – AI often replicates racial, gender, and body-type biases.

• Ethical Concerns – Unconsented dataset scraping remains an unresolved issue.

• Environmental Cost – AI requires huge computational power.

• Commodification of Art – AI raises concerns about mass production and devaluation of artistic labor.

AI Art Moving Forward

AI is not going away, and instead of rejecting it outright, I believe in engaging with it critically and ethically. We need:

• Clearer guidelines on dataset sourcing and fair compensation for artists.

• Better representation in AI training to correct racial, gender, and body biases.

• More sustainable AI technology to reduce environmental impact.

• Recognition that AI art is a valid artistic medium when used intentionally and creatively.

AI art is often dismissed as something anyone can create, but there is a distinct difference between generating images and crafting meaningful art with AI. Not everyone can create art with AI in a way that is intentional, thought-provoking, and deeply tied to an artist’s vision. I believe I am doing that—using AI not as a shortcut, but as a tool to explore, challenge, and expand artistic expression. As Shady Art Dealer, my AI-generated pieces are crafted with awareness of these issues and appreciation for the creative potential AI offers. AI doesn’t replace human creativity—it collaborates with it. I invite you to explore my work, engage with these conversations, and embrace the future of art with me—where technology and human expression coexist, challenge, and evolve together.