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Robots that Paint Have Gotten Pretty Impressive (technologyreview.com)

Posted by msmash on from the marching-forward dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Of the 100 images submitted to the 2018 Robotart competition, an automaton called CloudPainter rose to the top, with evocative portraits featuring varying degrees of abstraction. One of its winning images was created by a team of neural networks, AI algorithms, and robots. Robotart's founder, Andrew Conru, told MIT Technology Review that this year's entries have shown refined brushstrokes and composition. "CloudPainter, the winner this year, has been involved all three years and has made the most improvement in his system," he says. "The resulting work, while it still uses an inputted photo as reference, can execute paintings using different painting styles."

57 comments

  1. Any dildo bots make the list...apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those are important to me...apk

    1. Re: Any dildo bots make the list...apk by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Just wait till your "dildobot" catches a virus or gets hacked, and you have to overnight some RealCoin (that shit will be heavy) to a hacker somewhere, so that your robot - or the hacker - stops trying to assfuck you... at least at inopportune moments.

  2. Oh. Never mind. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was hoping it was a robot that could paint my porch. Turns out that it's a robot that can make bad art.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Oh. Never mind. by swb · · Score: 2

      Was also hoping for a Roomba with a paintbrush.

    2. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm happy to do the painting. Give me a robot for stripping the old paint and sanding.

    3. Re:Oh. Never mind. by KiloByte · · Score: 1

      Compare art by painter 1 with some by painter 2. Unless you take some strong drugs, there's no question which of them is better -- the other can be beaten by some bright kindergarten kids, some of their contemporaries get beaten by a chimp, yet get exhibited in major galleries for taxpayers' (ie, ours) money.

      Just think: how many millions would Picasso kill if he didn't get admitted to the art school?

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    4. Re:Oh. Never mind. by alvinrod · · Score: 2

      Yeah, but that robot is going to put a lot of people producing shitty modern art out of work. Maybe they can paint your porch.

    5. Re:Oh. Never mind. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but that robot is going to put a lot of people producing shitty modern art out of work.

      Hey, everybody's gotta eat. If someone can get people to pay them money to produce shitty modern art, what's the harm?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    6. Re: Oh. Never mind. by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Instead of trying to 'technologize & monetize' everything under the sun, Silicon Valley should focus on the one thing we as a society clearly need: hovering drink holders.

    7. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just so you know, it's not a Porch; it's a Ferarri.

    8. Re: Oh. Never mind. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      That's not hard to build.

      I'm willing to build you a custom one for cost + 20%.

      Please be advised that the price is directly related to the area about which the drink holder can hover; the cheapest option hovers in a fixed position over a pedestal, and only costs 4 figures.

      I can splatter some paint on it for free in an artistic way, but don't expect a Jackson Pollock.

    9. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      If you take away the photograph that they're supposed to mimic, then the chimp wins every time.

    10. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      If they were willing to show up sober and on time every morning, they could already be doing work.

      Wait, you thought those shitty artists are getting paid?!?!? LMFAO

    11. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Alypius · · Score: 1

      That's called a Turtle and you can still play with it!

    12. Re: Oh. Never mind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You arenâ(TM)t funny and none of your friends actually likes you.

    13. Re:Oh. Never mind. by orgelspieler · · Score: 1

      I work for a corrosion coatings company. Believe me, it's in the works.You might even say it's coming down the pipe.

    14. Re:Oh. Never mind. by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Hey, everybody's gotta eat.

      'cept the robots.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    15. Re:Oh. Never mind. by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      For one thing his eye for color was atrocious

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    16. Re: Oh. Never mind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Better" for what? Accurate visual representation? Both fall short of a camera. That's just not a job art needs to do anymore. Art's job is to make you feel something. Some of those Picasso paintings make me feel something. Do Hitler's paintings of buildings make you feel anything? Nothing is wrong with that, if so: Giorgio de Chirico's paintings of buildings work for me. Just don't tell me there's anything objectively better about your preference.

    17. Re:Oh. Never mind. by KiloByte · · Score: 1

      For one thing his eye for color was atrocious

      Well, yes. But just take a look at the other guy...

      Both are worse than a typical DeviantArt amateur. But only one has his paintings sold for millions. Picasso and his followers were masters of an art, though: the art of milking sponsors and taxpayers-paid organizations. Then you had masterpieces of that art such as selling a broken bicycle wheel, a picture filled with a single color, or an unmade bed.

      Hitler's paintings were not top-level art, but at least deserve to be called "art". On the other hand, "degenerate art" is pure swindle.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    18. Re:Oh. Never mind. by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Picasso could do realism. Here is one from when he was a teenager. That might not be your thing, but if you do want to understand Picasso, a way to start is by examining the lines. See what is in there. That will lead to more understanding.

      Hitler's painting is realism, but he hasn't surpassed the level of Bob Ross, he uses a combination of colors, as if it had been assigned to him, without awareness of whether those colors would be appropriate or not. He doesn't have any understanding of the emotional impact of colors, or even an idea of how the eye works (even on an intuitive level). Because he doesn't understand the elements, he isn't able to combine them in any sort of compelling composition.

      As for "degenerate art", in the 50s and 60s a lot of it was made by people with a sense of humor, and if you look at it, it's actually hilarious. This point seems to be lost on artists of the last 20 years, and a lot of the lightness and interest is gone, it's just degenerate as you call it. But insisting on realism is missing a lot.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    19. Re:Oh. Never mind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the link. It's fascinating to see the evolution of his art over the years. Some of his earlier work (earlier than you reference) should be quite impressive to KiloByte and fall squarely into traditional art. Then he explores and tries different styles, then goes back and forth, and then mixes styles. For example, in 1921 he made this: https://www.pablo-ruiz-picasso.net/work-2442.php and also made this: https://www.pablo-ruiz-picasso.net/work-2143.php

      But I have often wondered if the later Picasso could still paint like younger Picasso if he had wanted to. I doubt it. I think that https://www.pablo-ruiz-picasso.net/work-970.php is as close as he could come.

    20. Re:Oh. Never mind. by codeButcher · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but that robot is going to put a lot of people producing shitty modern art out of work. Maybe they can paint your porch.

      Hence, I predict that "robo-tard" (as opposed to the spelling in the article) will be come a word soon after.

      --
      Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
    21. Re:Oh. Never mind. by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      But I have often wondered if the later Picasso could still paint like younger Picasso if he had wanted to

      He almost certainly could have. His eye was clear, and his hand was steady. The shame is that he didn't continue his work on realism......he could have reached or surpassed the skill level of Monet, but he didn't.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  3. It's been impressive for awhile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least what could be done on monitors ("us[ing] an inputted photo as reference"). It doesn't seem much of a stretch to incorporate a physical brush and palette or 3d printed sculptures for that matter.

    1. Re:It's been impressive for awhile by zlives · · Score: 1

      yup next iteration of photo to sketch... not art

    2. Re:It's been impressive for awhile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not impressive in the least. A painting of some abstract piece of shit that isn't a representation of anything, has no underlying meaning and evokes no feelings is not art.

      "The best art imitates life in a compelling way. If it imitates a dream, it must be a dream of life. Otherwise, there is no place where we can connect. Our plugs don't fit."
      -Darwi Odrade (Chapterhouse: Dune)

    3. Re: It's been impressive for awhile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Deep learning will extract and reproduce the key features that evoke such feelings, in novel ways (as per novel strategies evolved in Go). It may be 'fake', but it will evoke feelings in some subjects nonetheless.

    4. Re: It's been impressive for awhile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is no software in existence that learns or has creativity ability. Collecting data != learning and "AI" is something that only appears in TV and movies.

  4. Putin painted Trump white by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America pwned

  5. Robotart? by chinton · · Score: 1

    Wasn't that Pris' pre-release codename?

    1. Re:Robotart? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't. Date. Robots.

    2. Re:Robotart? by zlives · · Score: 1

      waiting for robot love

  6. Journalists are annoying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does no one seem to understand the difference between intelligence and a stupid algorithm that mixes existing *human* art based on a random number generator with a feedback loop?

    I know this is what "AI" is defined as today, but the kind of questions posed by journalists implies that they think there is real intelligence there. There is not.

    1. Re:Journalists are annoying by zlives · · Score: 1

      "no one seem to understand the difference between intelligence and a stupid algorithm"

      probably for the same reason people can;t understand the difference between journalism and clickbait

  7. Absolutely awful! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    CloudPainter painted the worst clouds I've ever seen! ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  8. Start with classical paintings by religionofpeas · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Instead of all the modern artsy-fartsy stuff, let's see a robot paint a decent classical portrait.

    1. Re:Start with classical paintings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They seem to have done that. Click the link. https://robotart.org/

    2. Re:Start with classical paintings by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

      Went to link. No, they do not "seem to have done that". You are overly impressed.

    3. Re:Start with classical paintings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This program was trained to "paint" a portrait in the style of Rembrandt:

      https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/apr/05/new-rembrandt-to-be-unveiled-in-amsterdam#img-1

      So it's certainly doable.

      In contrast, the contest referenced in the article is more focused on the actual "painting" bit, which generally involves real paint, with real brushes around, on a physical canvas. That's more a robotics problem.

    4. Re:Start with classical paintings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As someone who has been following this stuff for a while, there has been a significant improvement over the last couple of years. The PIX18 stuff is way, way better than 2016, for example (see: https://robotart.org/2016-winners/).

      They absolutely do not have the brush control, blending, layers, color, etc. that a classical painter had. When they can make: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Madame_X then maybe they will have caught up. But they are improving quickly.

  9. Re:~o~ TRUMP ~o~ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, I guess surrender technically brings peace...

  10. Dot-Matrix Printer Malfunction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My dotmatrix printer did some awesome art like this when it would malfunction or need cleaning. I guess I should have saved those and praised the machine instead of cursing that it needed cleaning yet again!!! Just because someone calls it 'art' doesn't meant it is art.

    1. Re:Dot-Matrix Printer Malfunction by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      Just because someone calls it 'art' doesn't meant it is art.

      Actually, if someone calls it art, then yes, it is art.

      Whether it is good art is another question.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    2. Re:Dot-Matrix Printer Malfunction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because someone calls it 'art' doesn't meant it is art.

      Actually, if someone calls it art, then yes, it is art.

      Whether it is good art is another question.

      "good art by ruthie"
      https://www.amazon.com/One-Big-Happy-Costs-Extra/dp/1561632392

    3. Re:Dot-Matrix Printer Malfunction by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

      Only in a degraded and essentially meaningless manner.

  11. Deskjet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My dot matrix printer... I mean robot paints all the time while singing heavy metal lyrics.

  12. Bender'ing the rules.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like how the rules state "Paint/color must be applied with one or more physical brushes by a robotic system." but then later "As the contest this year is entirely online, we require teams to upload their artwork and supporting material. For each artwork, the team must upload: photo of final painting"

    Where is Bender with his rule-bending? Why not have 'robot' create electronic-painting and simply submit a photo of the electronic-picture? That would be a more human artist......

  13. Robotart by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    I read that as "robo-tart", and immediately thought, "Yeah, sexbots should be getting pretty impressive by now!"

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  14. Uh-huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So basically it's a xerox machine that does only a passable job? Whatever.

  15. Hardly impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My inkjet printer has been faithfully reproducing the works of Jackson Pollock for years!

  16. Eric Joyner Would be Proud by tmjva · · Score: 1

    https://ericjoyner.com/works/recaptcha/

    And do they paint donuts?

    --
    Tracy Johnson
    Old fashioned text games hosted below:
    http://empire.openmpe.com/
    BT
  17. Post Modernist by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

    No wonder they can do it. The lowest rung of art production.

    1. Re:Post Modernist by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

      OK, I guess it might impress someone who likes motel lobby art.

  18. That is considered art? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That picture reminds me of an EGA screen saver from the late 80s that threw colored circles at the screen then made them run down while getting smaller to simulate running paint. In fact, that screen saver looked way better than this "art". I believe this whole AI push of late is utter bulls**t. That machine learned nothing.