AI Generative Art in 2025: Integration, Ethics, and Originality
We're now three years deep, and we've evolved past the honeymoon phase. That initial dopamine rush when Midjourney or DALL·E painted a whole world from a text prompt has been replaced by something more grounded and nuanced. Now, the questions are how to integrate, collaborate, and ultimately push the boundaries of this generative medium in ethical, personalized, and meaningful ways. Or do we choose the path of not engaging at all? We're not in a golden age but in a threshold moment. And the questions are getting heavier: Who gets paid? Who gets called "original" in a remix culture? Can we exist together in these extremes without becoming another polarizing topic on top of all the other issues?
From Toys to Power Tools
In 2022, generative art became everyone's favorite toy. Tools like Midjourney, Ideogram, and Stable Diffusion created fast-food image-making. Midjourney, in particular, became the darling of the digital art world, exploding from 1 million users to over 20 million by late 2024. They added personalization features that allowed users to build a rapport with the AI. Suddenly, your Midjourney knew your vibe.
