Debating Artistic Excellence in the Age of AI: Distinguishing Provenance, Credentials, and Achievement

A recent ArtsJournal essay examines ongoing debates about artistic excellence, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence. The discussion was prompted by French-Canadian harpsichordist Jean Rondeau's upcoming performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations in three distinct arrangements, raising questions about what defines the essence of an artwork. The author argues that current resistance to AI creativity often conflates excellence with credentialism and provenance. Credentialism refers to the idea that excellence requires specific training and preparation, while provenance concerns the human origin of creative work. The essay suggests these should be distinguished from excellence itself, which relates to whether a work achieves its intended impact. Several examples illustrate this distinction: Stanford Thompson's observations about musical auditions revealing how preparation is often mistaken for merit; debates within the historical performance movement about whether period instrument practices have become rigid; director Yuval Sharon's controversial new ending for Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera, which critics challenged based on authorial intent rather than artistic achievement; and the reception of BTS's new album following their military service, where perceived quality shifted despite unchanged credentials. The author contends that as AI-generated creations become more prevalent, clearer distinctions between these concepts are necessary. While human lineage and serious preparation hold value, they should not substitute for evaluating whether a work successfully accomplishes its artistic goals. The essay also references broader institutional issues, including Denmark's museum funding model that ties subsidies to visitor counts, potentially prioritizing popularity over other measures of value, and recent AI attribution controversies involving the New York Times and Hachette, highlighting how enforcement might disproportionately affect less economically secure creators.