2023 AI Painting Industry Market Outlook and Development Status Analysis
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The principle of AI painting is similar to human sketching, but the 'AI' referred to here is not ordinary AI, but 'AI + CAD'. In traditional CAD software, CAD is used for drawing. In CAD software, models are first input into a computer, projected into space through projection functions, and after multi-dimensional spatial analysis, the desired patterns and shapes of the models are obtained. CAD can represent shapes by generating objects similar to or different from real-world objects.
AI painting refers to artificial intelligence-generated painting, a method of computer-generated artwork and a major branch within the AIGC (AI-generated content) application field. AI painting primarily consists of two parts: one is the analysis and judgment of images, i.e., 'learning,' and the other is the processing and restoration of images, i.e., 'output.' By continuously learning from tens of thousands of images and artworks, AI can now produce high-quality visuals in a short time simply by inputting clear and understandable text tags. Users do not need any prior painting skills, and the AI can even make fine adjustments to the artistic style based on requirements.
AI has successively defeated top human players in Go, e-sports champions, and poker players, and now it has set its sights on artists. Zhang Zeduan spent a year creating the masterpiece 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival,' while Leonardo da Vinci took about three years to paint the 'Mona Lisa.' Today, by simply typing a few words on a keyboard, an AI-generated painting can be produced in seconds. The rapid advancement of AI technology is astonishing, and judging from experimental results, the quality of AI paintings is not low—some even surpass the work of novice human artists.
Analysis of the Current Development Status of the AI Painting Industry
Currently, through deep learning and image processing technologies, AI has made significant progress in fields such as image recognition, image synthesis, facial recognition, video analysis, and speech recognition. With the rapid application of deep learning, AI's potential is expanding, especially in image recognition and video analysis, where substantial advancements are expected. However, in the realm of AI painting, continuous exploration and efficiency improvements are still needed to meet the demands of more industries.
The upstream of the AI painting industry chain consists of AI painting data providers, AI painting data processing companies, AI painting content providers, and AI painting hardware suppliers. Key hardware manufacturers include Huion, XP-Pen, Lanjian, and BOE, which provide technical and product support for the industry. The midstream comprises AI painting service providers, while the downstream includes artists, designers, the cultural and creative industries, the metaverse industry, and various game, film, and advertising companies. The demand from these sectors drives the development of the AI painting industry, which in turn provides technical support for these fields.
In the midstream of AI painting, algorithm development is the most critical part of the industry chain, involving research and application in computer vision, deep learning, and image generation. Among AI painting models, Stable Diffusion is the most widely used, accounting for 77%, followed by Disco Diffusion at 10% and others at 13%. Companies like Baidu, Douyin, and Tencent are actively involved in this space. Industry leaders such as Kunlun Tech, BlueFocus, and Wondershare have also made strategic moves in AI painting. At the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Baidu introduced its 'Wenxin' platform, which includes AI painting features. Domestic AI painting platforms have proliferated, and even e-commerce platforms now offer courses derived from AI painting.
In 2021, the maturity and development of AI technology brought AI painting into the public eye. Statistics show that China's AI painting market was valued at 10 million yuan in 2021. However, as public acceptance of AI painting grows and its productivity proves remarkable, the market has experienced explosive growth since 2022, with projections reaching 15.466 billion yuan by 2026.
Industry analysts believe that the popularity of AI painting stems from user curiosity and the bandwagon effect. Using such apps or software requires little to no cost, and some are even free, offering users a fun experience akin to opening a mystery box, with an element of surprise. At the same time, AI painting provides a creative outlet for beginners with no prior artistic skills.
Future Outlook for the AI Painting Industry
Technological advancement not only liberates productivity and improves labor efficiency but also brings convenience. Today, a smartphone can handle daily needs like food, clothing, housing, and transportation—this is the result of technology transforming life. Similarly, as AI technology becomes more widespread, digital and intelligent empowerment is making management across industries more efficient. Therefore, there is no need to worry excessively about the emergence of AI painting. As AI technology evolves, it will transform and replace jobs in more industries, from Go to e-sports to painting. What we need to do, besides being open and inclusive, is to quickly address legal and ethical issues and prepare for these changes in advance.
In the current era of booming technological advancement, AI painting technology has emerged. Some institutions predict that within the next five years, AI painting will penetrate 10% to 30% of the image content generation sector, with a market size exceeding 60 billion yuan. While AI painting is gaining immense popularity, it has also triggered protests from many artists and led to numerous copyright disputes. There is a growing call for the prompt introduction of laws and regulations related to the AI painting field.