BETWEEN BRUSH AND ALGORITHM: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE REVOLUTION, RESISTANCE, AND FUTURE OF THE ARTS IN ASIA

Abstract

This research explores the profound intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the creative industries across Asia from 2016 to 2025. As generative AI technologies enter artistic domains, Asia has emerged as a leading adopter of this revolution rather than a mere recipient. Using documentary research, this study investigates the impacts, resistances, and adaptations in visual arts, music, film, and traditional arts across nations such as China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. Findings reveal severe industry disruptions, including a 90% reduction in production costs for animation, as well as triggering creative identity crises and threatening traditional arts with cultural hollowing. In response, artists are increasingly adopting hybrid workflows, utilizing protective technologies, and emphasizing irreplaceable human branding. Furthermore, the study identifies critical structural challenges, including lagging intellectual property laws, a lack of consent mechanisms, and Western-centric cultural biases in AI datasets. The paper introduces the "Triadic Tension Model" to analyze these dynamics and forecasts a future market polarization between AI-commodity art and premium human-signature art, advocating for urgent IP reforms and Asian cultural datasets.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Creative Industries, Intellectual Property, Arts in Asia