With AI Remixing Everything, Can Anything Still Be Called Original?

In a world where artificial intelligence can remix, reimagine, and regenerate almost anything, the question of originality has become more pressing than ever.

Gone are the days when the idea of an “original image” meant something created from scratch, a product of pure imagination and human touch. Today, tools like Midjourney, DALL·E, and Runway are blurring the boundaries between imitation and innovation.

From digital paintings to AI-enhanced photography, we are now witnessing the death of the original image as we once knew it. The rise of AI-generated art has changed how we create, consume, and even define creativity.

But is originality really dead, or simply evolving?

Artificial intelligence has become the ultimate remix artist. Platforms like Adobe Firefly, Stable Diffusion, and OpenAI’s DALL·E don’t just create; they learn from millions of existing artworks and photographs. They remix colours, styles, textures, and themes to produce something “new,” yet built on the foundation of what already exists.

For artists, this raises a critical question: if an AI system draws inspiration from someone else’s work, can its output truly be called original?

The article “Is art generated by artificial intelligence real art?” from the Harvard Gazette examines how AI-image generators, such as DALL·E 2 and Midjourney, are challenging traditional notions of originality and emotional depth in art.

The piece profiles creators—a writer, animator, architect, musician, and mixed-media artist —who reflect on how AI can mimic style and technique but often lacks the unique personal experience, emotional resonance, and human insight that define much of artistic expression.

It also highlights a central concern for photography and visual arts: that even though AI-generated works may look technically impressive, they often fail to convey the spontaneity of human creation or the lived experience behind the image.

For Nigerian creators and photographers, this raises a pressing question: when AI can replicate aesthetic and style, what remains of human originality and cultural authenticity in art?

Many creators now describe AI art as derivative creativity, innovation built on existing material. Nigerian digital artists, too, are navigating this new terrain. Some see AI as a partner in visual storytelling, while others view it as a threat to authentic artistic expression.

Photography, once a documentation of truth, has entered a new phase. With advanced editing tools and AI-enhancement features on smartphones and software like Photoshop’s “Generative Fill,” even photographs are now open to manipulation.

In 2025, the distinction between a captured moment and a created moment has almost disappeared. An image might appear to be a photograph, but it could have been entirely generated by artificial intelligence.

Consider the rise of AI-generated portrait images, image manipulation tools, and image generation tools like Gemini on social media. People now upload selfies only to receive stylised, cinematic portraits that were never actually taken. This trend has made it difficult to tell where reality ends and digital imagination begins.

For photojournalists and documentary photographers, this is a serious concern. Authenticity has always been at the heart of their work. But when AI can fabricate realistic scenes, how do audiences know what’s genuine anymore?

As AI-generated images flood online platforms, questions around copyright have become increasingly complex. Who owns an AI-generated image: the user who typed the prompt, the company that built the AI, or the artists whose works trained the system?

Legal frameworks are still catching up. In 2024, several high-profile cases emerged in the United States and Europe where artists sued AI companies for allegedly scraping their work without consent. For instance, Getty Images filed a lawsuit against Stability AI for allegedly using over 12 million copyrighted images to train its model without permission and lost.

Similarly, a group of visual artists filed a class-action lawsuit against Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Stability AI in the U.S., accusing them of “mass infringement” through data scraping.

Additionally, in 2023, Boris Eldagsen rejected the First-place prize he was awarded because his images were generated using AI. The World Photographer Organisation said it expected images to include elements of AI, but he misled them about the extent to which it would be used, and that the awards are for championing photographers.

Other artists also argued that the images by Boris undermine the skills of photographers, painters, and others.

This debate is now global, extending to Africa, where digital artists and photographers are calling for stronger protection of intellectual property. In Nigeria, creators have raised similar concerns on platforms like X and within art collectives such as Art X Lagos, stressing the need for clear AI copyright policies.

Nigeria’s growing creative industry, comprising illustrators and photographers, has also begun grappling with these concerns. Many argue that if AI tools rely heavily on existing data, some of it copyrighted, the term “original” becomes increasingly questionable.

Still, not everyone views this evolution in a negative light. Many artists and photographers in Nigeria and beyond have embraced AI as a creative collaborator. Instead of fearing the loss of originality, they see AI as a tool that expands human imagination.

For instance, photographers now use AI to enhance lighting, restore damaged images, or experiment with surreal compositions that were once impossible. Artists use AI to quickly prototype ideas, freeing up more time for concept development and storytelling.

In this sense, originality is not lost; it’s being redefined. Human creativity still provides the foundation; AI simply adds new layers of possibility.

Despite the growing popularity of AI-generated visuals, many Nigerians continue to hold deep respect for authentic, human-made images. Across creative circles, from photographers to painters and digital artists, originality continues to carry immense cultural and emotional weight.

For many Nigerians, an image created by a human hand tells a story that technology simply cannot imitate. Photographers like Kelechi Amadi-Obi, TY Bello, and Emmanuel Oyeleke have built their reputations on capturing raw, unscripted human moments that reflect Nigeria’s energy, beauty, and imperfections.

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X are now saturated with AI-generated visuals. Scroll through your feed, and you’ll find hyper-realistic landscapes, futuristic cityscapes, and portraits that blur the line between human and synthetic.

While audiences are fascinated by these visuals, they also risk desensitisation. When everything looks perfect, does anything still feel meaningful?

Social media’s obsession with aesthetics has created an environment where originality struggles to survive. AI tools make it easy to produce beautiful images, but in doing so, they flood digital spaces with repetition; countless variations of the same idea.

RELATED: Why Nigerians Are Ditching Photoshoots for AI Images

So, what does originality mean in 2025? Perhaps it’s not about creating something from nothing anymore, but about creating something that means something.

Artists and photographers can still claim originality through concept, intention, and storytelling. The originality may no longer lie in the pixels, but in the purpose - in how creators use AI to express unique perspectives or amplify cultural narratives.

In Nigeria’s creative landscape, for instance, many artists are using AI to reinterpret African folklore, heritage, and identity. These reinterpretations are not copies; they’re contemporary expressions rooted in history, blending technology with tradition.

AI is not the death of creativity; it’s the rebirth of it in a new form. The challenge is ensuring that this evolution respects human artistry and ethical boundaries.

To preserve originality in the age of artificial intelligence, creators must adapt. That means using AI responsibly, crediting sources, and keeping the emotional core that machines cannot replicate.

The future of art and photography lies in coexistence: human intuition guided by machine intelligence. Together, they can redefine what it means to create, not by erasing originality, but by expanding it.