You can operate under a broader definition of art if you prefer, but as I see it, art is creative expression, and AI is not creatively expressing itself, as it doesn't have the sentience to do so. Nor is a human expressing themself when they offload the task to another person or thing.
Hmm...maybe...maybe not.
I think that's the issue at hand here. Right now, it seems fairly subjective, to me at least, anyway.
AI not being sentient...hmm? Well, it doesn't have a nervous system. And perhaps that's the main thing that is offending people. But the whole idea of
actual AI seems to have always been based on non-feeling (from our perception) creations thinking for themselves. It seems obvious we're not quite there yet, but true AI not being sentient?
But what does seem fairly evident already is that this technology is, in fact, expressing itself. Like us, who have been programmed by nature, it is expressing itself based on what we've programmed it with. That's a pretty big-ass, clunky pill to swallow, I know -- and please don't think I'm all for this -- but it is what it is. I'm just kinda feeling it out like everyone else, I guess. But like I said in the original post, I'm already trying to make use of it because it appeals to me on a very practical basis. I am working middle class, currently on leave, don't want to dip into savings to spend my spare time (so I don't lose what's left of my mind) nurturing creativity I have inside me (music).
One last point: I said "from our perception" regarding non-feeling creatures. I know that I have several material things I've kept with me throughout the years, and I take very good care of them. In turn, they've lasted a long time in terms of their service to me. Whether or not I would call that feeling, well, maybe that's an insane notion to even say out loud. But... polishing the body of my guitar every now and again, keeping a damp sponge in the case with it, so the wood doesn't dry. This seems to be feeding life to it. So, I'm just sayin'... Folks take care of plants that feed them oxygen, and on and on.