Abstract
This theory-philosophical study explores the notion of artistic value in the context of artificial
intelligence (AI)through Immanuel Kant’s concept of “disinterested aesthetic judgment.”It argues
that the aesthetic value of an artwork is independent of its origin, whether human-made or
algorithmically generated. Rather than empirical data, the research relies on a logical critique and
close reading of Kant’s Critique of Judgment in conjunction with AI-generated art. Key Kantian
ideas such as disinterestedness, purposiveness without purpose, and universality without a
concept are reinterpreted to support the view that authorship and intention are irrelevant to
aesthetic judgment. From this perspective, critiques of AI art based on its non-human origin lose
validity. The study concludes that an artwork’s abstract form and its effect on the viewer’s
cognitive faculties are sufficient grounds for aesthetic appreciation, offering a universal and
author-independent model for evaluating artistic merit.
Keywords
artificial intelligence kantian philosophy philosophy of art art with artificial intelligence visual arts
References
- Arbiza Goenaga, M. (2020). A critique of contemporary artificial intelligence art: who is Edmond de Belamy?. Ausart journal for research in Art, 8(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.1387/ausart.21490
- Benjamin, W. (1969). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (H. Zohn, Trans.; H. Arendt, Ed.). Schocken books. https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/benjamin.pdf
- Clewis, R. R. (2023). Genius and the fine arts. In the origins of Kant’s aesthetics (pp. 101–148). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009209403.006
- Dalton, S. (2015). How beauty disrupts space, time and thought: purposiveness without a purpose in Kant's critique of judgment. E-LOGOS, 22(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.18267/j.elogos.409
- Daniels, P. (2008). Kant on the beautiful: the interest in disinterestedness. Colloquy: text theory critique, (16), 199–210. https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1762206/daniels.pdf
- Graben, P. B. (2024). A neural network account to kant's philosophical aesthetics. Mind and matter, 22(2), 227–252. https://doi.org/10.53765/mm2024.227
- Kant, I. (1914). Critique of judgement (J. H. Bernard, Trans.; 2nd ed., rev.). Macmillan and co., limited. (Original work published 1790)
- Kerimov, K. (2019). The time of the beautiful in Kant’s critique of judgment. Epoché: a journal for the history of philosophy, 24(1), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.5840/epoche20191011145
- Kraatz, K., & Xie, S.-t. (2023). Why AI art is not art: a Heideggerian critique. Synthesis philosophica, 76(2), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp38201
- Liu, J. (2025). Kant on the aesthetic idea in judgment and creation. European journal of philosophy, e13063. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.13063
- Ostaric, L. (2019). Critique of judgment and the unity of Kant's critical system. Cambridge University Press.
- Palmer, L. (2008). A universality not based on concepts: Kant's key to the critique of taste. Kantian review, 13(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1369415400001084
- Sasa, M. S. (2019). An appraisal of the concept of beauty in Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. Gnosi: an interdisciplinary journal of human theory and praxis, 2(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4071560
- Silbey, J. (2025). How theories of art can inform debates about AI. Emory law journal, 74(5), 1229–1292. https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol74/iss5/5
- Smakic, K. (2025). Aesthetic values of artwork generated by artificial intelligence tools in the context of Benjamin’s “aura”. Theoria, 68(1), 185–193. https://doi.org/10.2298/THEO2501185S
- Smith, A., & Cook, M. (2023). AI-generated imagery: a new era for the “readymade” [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2307.06033
- van Hees, J., Grootswagers, T., Quek, G. L., & Varlet, M. (2025). Human perception of art in the age of artificial intelligence. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1497469. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1497469
- Wasielewski, A. (2023). Computational formalism: Art history and machine learning. MIT Press.
- Zylinska, J. (2014). Minimal ethics for the anthropocene. Open humanities press.
Abstract
Sanatsal değerin Yapay Zeka (YZ) varlığındaki tek boyutlu çerçevesi, Immanuel Kant’ın “çıkar
gözetmeyen estetik yargı” anlayışı doğrultusunda bu kuramsal-felsefi çalışmada incelenmiştir.
Çalışmanın temel amacı bir sanat eserinin estetik değerinin kökenine, insan ya da algoritma
kaynaklı oluşuna, bağlı olmadığını göstermektir. Ampirik araştırmalar yürütmek yerine, çalışma
mantık eleştirisine dayanmakta ve Kant’ın Yargı Gücünün Eleştirisi adlı eserinin bazı bölümlerini
YZ tarafından üretilen sanat eserleriyle birlikte analiz ederek sonuçlara ulaşmaktadır. “Çıkar
gözetmeme”, “amaçsız amaçlılık” ve “kavrama dayanmayan evrensellik” gibi önemli Kantçı
kavramlar, estetik yargı çerçevesinde yaratıcılık ve niyeti önemsizleştiren yaklaşımı
meşrulaştırmak üzere yeniden tanımlanmaktadır. İnsan dışı oluşları nedeniyle YZ sanatını
eleştiren görüşlerin, Kantçı estetik perspektiften bakıldığında geçerliliğini tamamen yitirdiği
ortaya konmaktadır. Çalışma soyut biçimin kendisinin ve gözlemci zihni üzerindeki etkisinin,
estetik yargı için yeterli olduğunu öne sürmekte; böylece yaratıcının kim olduğuna bakılmaksızın
sanatsal değeri kapsayıcı bir yaklaşımla değerlendirmektedir.
References
- Arbiza Goenaga, M. (2020). A critique of contemporary artificial intelligence art: who is Edmond de Belamy?. Ausart journal for research in Art, 8(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.1387/ausart.21490
- Benjamin, W. (1969). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (H. Zohn, Trans.; H. Arendt, Ed.). Schocken books. https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/benjamin.pdf
- Clewis, R. R. (2023). Genius and the fine arts. In the origins of Kant’s aesthetics (pp. 101–148). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009209403.006
- Dalton, S. (2015). How beauty disrupts space, time and thought: purposiveness without a purpose in Kant's critique of judgment. E-LOGOS, 22(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.18267/j.elogos.409
- Daniels, P. (2008). Kant on the beautiful: the interest in disinterestedness. Colloquy: text theory critique, (16), 199–210. https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1762206/daniels.pdf
- Graben, P. B. (2024). A neural network account to kant's philosophical aesthetics. Mind and matter, 22(2), 227–252. https://doi.org/10.53765/mm2024.227
- Kant, I. (1914). Critique of judgement (J. H. Bernard, Trans.; 2nd ed., rev.). Macmillan and co., limited. (Original work published 1790)
- Kerimov, K. (2019). The time of the beautiful in Kant’s critique of judgment. Epoché: a journal for the history of philosophy, 24(1), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.5840/epoche20191011145
- Kraatz, K., & Xie, S.-t. (2023). Why AI art is not art: a Heideggerian critique. Synthesis philosophica, 76(2), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp38201
- Liu, J. (2025). Kant on the aesthetic idea in judgment and creation. European journal of philosophy, e13063. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.13063
- Ostaric, L. (2019). Critique of judgment and the unity of Kant's critical system. Cambridge University Press.
- Palmer, L. (2008). A universality not based on concepts: Kant's key to the critique of taste. Kantian review, 13(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1369415400001084
- Sasa, M. S. (2019). An appraisal of the concept of beauty in Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. Gnosi: an interdisciplinary journal of human theory and praxis, 2(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4071560
- Silbey, J. (2025). How theories of art can inform debates about AI. Emory law journal, 74(5), 1229–1292. https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol74/iss5/5
- Smakic, K. (2025). Aesthetic values of artwork generated by artificial intelligence tools in the context of Benjamin’s “aura”. Theoria, 68(1), 185–193. https://doi.org/10.2298/THEO2501185S
- Smith, A., & Cook, M. (2023). AI-generated imagery: a new era for the “readymade” [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2307.06033
- van Hees, J., Grootswagers, T., Quek, G. L., & Varlet, M. (2025). Human perception of art in the age of artificial intelligence. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1497469. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1497469
- Wasielewski, A. (2023). Computational formalism: Art history and machine learning. MIT Press.
- Zylinska, J. (2014). Minimal ethics for the anthropocene. Open humanities press.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Media Technologies, Arts and Cultural Policy, Digital and Electronic Media Art |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | October 22, 2025 |
| Submission Date | June 5, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | October 8, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Issue: Yapay zekâ ve sanat özel sayısı |
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