I went to an AI art awards show and it was an eye-opening experience

This year I attended the HONOR Talents Global Design Awards – a celebration of emerging young creatives embracing the intersection of AI, art and design. Split into two categories, 'Visual Communication Design' and 'Art and Technology', young creatives were challenged to create art around the following themes: Cultural Prosperity, Renewal of life, Genesis, City Inspiration and Panda (a symbol of 'Mutual Learning' and a nod to China's fluffy national treasure).

While I'm historically on the fence about the melding of AI and art, it was eye-opening to see young creatives being encouraged to embrace AI in their work. It seems only natural that in a digital age with AI art tutorials at our fingertips, certain spheres of the art world are evolving to include AI augmentation. What I witnessed at the awards show was a future both uncharted and uncomfortable, bringing into question the future of traditional artistic practice – whether it's for better or for worse, I remain undecided.

HONOR Talents European Regional Awards Winners

Project of Nature

Spanish artist Roberto Gandia Torro won a HONOR Talents Award for his piece "Project of Nature'. Featuring two pandas nestled amongst the greenery, Roberto's piece represents the bears as protectors of the natural world. The digitally designed piece received high praise from the judging panel, winning the coveted Global Judge’s Choice Award.

Naive Threads of Fairy Tales: Patterns born in Childhood

Natasha Ba of Finland was also awarded the HONOR Talents Award for her whimsical yet evocative piece inspired by fairy tales and childhood nostalgia. "I adopt the form from medieval authors or folklore arts, their naivety and touchingness are impeccable," she says.

Utopian Pottery: Landscape of Cultures

Combining "Italian pottery with contemporary Chinese cityscapes", Italian artist Lucrezia Spapperi Gestri was awarded the HONOR Talents Award for his piece 'Utopian Pottery: Landscape of Cultures'. "celebrating the beauty found in cultural fusion, modernity and unknown future."

Balance of the Future

With a focus on environmentalism, Martin Vondruška from the Czech Republic was awarded the HONOR Talents Award for his piece 'Balance of the Future'. "Recycling, wind energy and the bicycle as an ecological means of transport representing sustainability are combined with animals representing nature in an aesthetic composition for future balance," he explains.

“We've been so inspired by the thousands of submissions that we’ve received. HONOR Talents plays an essential role, giving artists a platform to unleash their creativity with the latest technology and AI, while also enabling HONOR to share these creations with our customers across the globe," says said Avikar Jolly, CMO at HONOR Europe. "It’s exciting to witness the creativity of next-generation talent who we know will shape the worlds of art, design and technology now, and in the years to come,” he adds.

After attending the awards show I'm left feeling somewhat divided. HONOR's advocation of AI art is naturally an uncomfortable intersection for me to accept as a trad art purist. Yet what excites me is the atmosphere created by new creatives who are pioneering the movement towards AI integration – without pushing its limits we can't refine the craft and strike a balance between the intersection of AI, art and design. Am I willing to accept that intersection just yet? Perhaps not, but undoubtedly we're at the cusp of a new era for digital art and I'm interested to watch it evolve.

If you're after more AI art news, take a look at this AI art quiz that only 40% of people answered correctly on average. For more stunning design check out the V&A's stunning AI art projection that's all about human artists.

Discover more about HONOR Talents and the HONOR Talents Global Design Awards.