AI the enemy or friend of art?

At the sixth edition of YouNique Lugano 2025, the contemporary art fair that this year, again in the exclusive setting of Villa Ciani, ranged from Europe, to the East, to Africa, a topical issue for wealthy collectors of paintings and sculptures was debated. Is artificial intelligence the ally or enemy of contemporary art? Who is the true author of an AI-generated work?
The new technological muse presents itself as a practical tool that simplifies complex processes, but in the art scene it raises ethical, legal, and philosophical questions. How can we ensure that AI-generated art retains intrinsic value while preventing it from being reduced to mere imitation devoid of emotion? “Art has always been a reflection of the human soul, the result of a marriage between the intuitive talent of the artist and the tools at his or her disposal, but with the advent of generative artificial intelligence, this traditional balance is changing radically,” Greta Zuccali, curator, artist manager and art advisor, introduces the discussion with this question. “For biologist Charles Darwin, man is the child of physics. If we are computation, if man makes mistakes or says stupid things, then so will the machine.
If there is a consciousness and free will then man will be called art and the machine is a dead letter. I don't know if God exists, but if God exists, man will always be superior to the machine,” comments Deodato Salafia entrepreneur and gallery owner, founder and CEO of Deodato Group, a leading company in accessible and innovative contemporary art. Salafia, a computer scientist and theologian, recently published a book, “Your First Five Works of Contemporary Art,” 101111 Publisher, a manual for trying to become an expert collector with a focus on gallery realities, taxation and authenticity, how to invest and the role of fairs today.
It was a heated debate in Lugano that featured in-depth reflection on the ethical limits in the use of AI for artistic creation, considering issues such as cultural appropriation, authenticity and the risk of creative homogenization. “I grew up on bread and Giotto but I think AI can really open up new opportunities. In the early 20th century, photography was seen as an enemy, then it became an ally. Artists like challenges", notes Rebecca Pedrazzi, an art historian and critic who specializes in AI Art and author of the book Possible Futures. "Art Scenarios and Artificial Intelligence” (Jaca Book). 
“Artists tell themselves and a story of love, suffering, joy. The artist does not work for money but for passion. The machine is a tool for telling a story. But how do we get used to the speed of machines? By exhaustion”, retorts Luca Maria Gambardella Pro-Rector for Innovation and Corporate Relations, full professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Computer Science and member of the IDSIA, Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Studies USI-SUPSI, which he directed from 1995 to 2020. “The real challenge, the most intriguing part is to realize the learning machine. The 'generative' bet is the one that is really being discussed. The dream is a machine that, for example, changes expression during an exhibition and interacts with people. We are getting there”. 
Meanwhile, the verse luxury is to slow down the pace and regain balance. Or perhaps the real luxury will be a work made entirely by man without the complicity of machines. What will this be worth in a hundred or maybe a thousand years? We have not yet had an answer.
In the meantime, let us enjoy these splendid works and look beyond old Europe. The Lugano exhibition also gave space to the East. Madeinartgallery, a gallery in downtown Milan, has been doing this for some time. The Milan-based group caters precisely to contemporary Chinese art, setting itself the goal of bringing the fascinating thousand-year-old culture closer. A number of prominent artists such as Chen Wenling, Zhang Hong Mei, Xu de Qi, Song Yongping, Ma Yuan were presented at YouNique. Absolutely to be discovered.
For information on the upcoming YouNique 2026 edition info@younique-experience.com