I found Troy Baker’s perspective on AI interesting. The voice actor behind Joel in The Last of Us and Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle recently sat down with The Game Business to discuss his thoughts on artificial intelligence in the creative industry. His stance? AI can create content, but it cannot create art.
Baker draws a hard line between the two. “AI can create content, but it cannot create art,” he explained. “And the reason why is because that invariably requires the human experience.”
It’s a thoughtful position. Baker isn’t wrong to emphasize the importance of human creativity. But his definition rests on a philosophical claim and reality, I’ve noticed, doesn’t always care about our definitions.
What Is Art, Anyway?
Let’s start with the basics. According to the dictionary, art is “the quality, production, expression, or realm of things that conform to accepted aesthetic principles of beauty, show imagination and skill, and have more than ordinary meaning and importance.”
That definition tells us something important. Art is subjective. What one person considers beautiful or skillful will differ wildly from what another person thinks. Some people believe the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece, many don’t. Others could care less one way or the other.
When Baker claims AI cannot create art because it lacks human experience, he’s making a value judgment about what qualifies as art. That’s his right. It doesn’t change the fact that millions of people are currently consuming, enjoying, and yes paying for work created or assisted by AI.
Does AI Create Art? Some People Think So
Does AI create art? To some people, it absolutely does. And they’re fine with that.
Just because a human made something doesn’t automatically make it good. Human-created work can be derivative, soulless, or just plain bad. Meanwhile, AI-assisted or AI-generated work can move people, make them think, or provide genuine enjoyment.
I agree with Baker on one crucial point. People shouldn’t demonize AI. It’s a tool humans can use to make their workflow more efficient. Like any tool, it can be used well or poorly. Fighting against its existence is pointless. AI isn’t going anywhere, just like computers didn’t go anywhere when they first disrupted industries.
Demonizing the use of AI will only ensure the future work you do using it won’t be valued at its true worth.
Think about it this way. Should I not use a cellphone because an operator is no longer connecting my calls? Should I refuse email because it displaced letter carriers? Technology changes how we work. It always has.
If AI Is So Terrible, Why Is Everyone Using It?
If AI is hated so much, why are so many people using it? Why are so many people watching it? Why are so many people paying for it?
The AI Streamer Breaking Records
An AI streamer on Twitch recently broke the hype train record. Multiple times. In fact, she’s done it three times in a row.
Neuro-sama is an AI VTuber created by British developer Vedal. She’s a chatbot powered by a large language model, combined with a computer-animated avatar and text-to-speech voice. She can play games like Minecraft, read Twitch chat, and interact with viewers in real time.
In January 2025, Neuro-sama broke the Twitch hype train record by reaching level 111. Then, in December 2025, she broke her own record by hitting level 123. Then, just 12 days later in January 2026, she broke it again reaching level 126 with 126,273 subscriptions and nearly 1.2 million Bits donated.
People are actively supporting her with their money. The community, called “the Swarm”, is passionate and growing.
Vedal has even started releasing music that the AI supposedly made. Is that not art? Thousands of people seem to think it is.
AI Art on Your Wall
During CES 2026, multiple companies showcased AI photo frames that generate art on command.
The Fraimic Smart Canvas uses e-ink display technology and OpenAI’s image generation model. You walk up to it, tap the corner, speak a prompt, and watch as the frame generates custom artwork. No apps, no subscriptions. Just voice-to-art creation that hangs on your wall like a traditional painting.
SwitchBot also unveiled their AI Art Frame, which uses AI to transform photos into artwork that automatically rotates. It features E Ink Spectra 6 technology for a paper-like viewing experience.
These aren’t niche products for tech enthusiasts. They’re being marketed to everyday homeowners who want personalized art in their living spaces.
Is that not art? If someone enjoys looking at it every day, if it makes them feel something, if it adds beauty to their home does it matter how it was created?
The AI Singer With a Record Deal
Then there’s Xania Monet.
Xania is an AI R&B singer created by poet and songwriter Telisha Jones using the AI platform Suno. Jones writes the lyrics based on her personal experiences, then uses Suno to generate the music and vocals.
In September 2025, Xania signed a $3 million record deal with Hallwood Media after her songs appeared on multiple Billboard charts. Her track “How Was I Supposed to Know” hit number one on R&B Digital Song Sales. “Let Go, Let God” charted on the Hot Gospel Songs.
Many people realize Xania is AI-generated. They don’t care. If people are enjoying the music, is it not art?
Artists like Kehlani and SZA have pushed back, arguing that AI threatens human artistry. They have valid concerns about their livelihoods and the future of the industry.
Human artists still have a choice. As Baker put it, “It still doesn’t remove the choice for me as a performer, as a producer, to go, ‘But I choose to do this.'” Artists can decide how they want to work and what they want to create.
There’s something special about the human experience and how we choose to express ourselves. The stories we tell, the emotions we convey, the perspectives we share. These things matter. They connect us to each other in ways that purely algorithmic content cannot.
But that hasn’t stopped people from listening to AI-generated music. Xania has gotten over 17 million streams in just two months.
The Slow March Toward Acceptance
The more AI is integrated into physical items, which CES 2026 was filled with, the more people will become accustomed to it.
If people don’t mind AI powering their cars, their home security systems, their refrigerators, and their vacuum cleaners, will they mind AI art if they consider it good?
Probably not.
Baker predicts that the rise of AI-generated material will push audiences to seek out authentic experiences like live performances, theater, and books. He envisions people rejecting “the gruel that gets distilled to me through a black mirror” in favor of genuine human connection.
I hope he’s right. There’s something irreplaceable about seeing a musician perform live, watching actors on stage, or reading a book written by someone pouring their heart onto the page.
I’m not convinced most people will make that choice.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Convenience
Baker’s optimistic view doesn’t acknowledge that people already accept heavily algorithmic, low-effort content because it’s convenient and cheap.
People scroll through TikTok for hours consuming content that’s been optimized by algorithms to keep us watching. They listen to AI-curated playlists on Spotify. They watch Netflix recommendations chosen by machine learning models.
Most people don’t seek out the most authentic or challenging experiences. They seek out what’s easy, what’s free, and what entertains them in the moment.
Why would AI-generated art be any different?
If an AI can generate a beautiful landscape painting for your living room in 30 seconds, you can change it whenever you want, and it makes you happy when you look at it. Are you really going to drive to a gallery, buy a static original human-made piece, and go through the hassle of framing it?
What This Means for Artists
In the capitalist world we’re living in, needing to create and being able to make a living from it are two very different things.
If studios can use AI voices instead of hiring voice actors, they will. If publishers can use AI-generated cover art instead of commissioning illustrators, they will. If record labels can sign AI musicians instead of developing human artists, they will.
I keep coming back to the numbers.
126,273 subscriptions for an AI streamer. $3 million for an AI singer. AI photo frames selling at CES. These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re happening right now.
Baker believes AI will drive people toward authentic experiences. I believe AI will become so integrated into our lives that we’ll stop questioning it.
Maybe that’s okay. Maybe the definition of art needs to expand. We need to accept that beauty, meaning, and emotional impact can come from sources we didn’t anticipate.
I do know this: millions of people have embraced AI art. They’re listening to it, watching it, buying it, and enjoying it. When we ask “Can AI create art?” we should be asking a different, more honest question instead. “Does it matter if AI can create art, when people are treating it like it does anyway?”
