[Paper Review] AI Lowers the Creative Threshold, But the Master's Wall Remains Solid

Kang Gyo-jeong''s doctoral dissertation "AI Art from a Cultural Sociological Perspective" (2025) explores how AI is changing the structure of artistic creation while either weakening or reproducing cultural inequality in new ways. Using cultural capital theory and omnivore theory, the dissertation analyzes contrasting cases of Mario Klingemann (generative AI artist without established art world credentials) and Damien Hirst (established art world master). Key findings: AI dramatically lowers technical barriers to image creation — anyone can generate aesthetically sophisticated images without traditional artistic training; however, the art market''s value recognition system (galleries, auction houses, critics, institutional validation) remains heavily concentrated around established "cultural capital" holders; Klingemann''s AI work, despite technical innovation, commands far lower prices than Hirst''s AI-assisted works because Hirst''s established brand provides legitimacy the market recognizes; the 2018 Edmond de Belamy auction and 2022 Colorado State Fair controversy demonstrate that AI-generated work receives recognition when associated with established institutional frameworks, not purely based on aesthetic merit. Second paper (Kim Min-sun, 2024) examines K-POP narrative expansion within Bourdieu''s field theory: idol groups'' worldbuilding represents systematic cultural capital accumulation creating barriers to entry for competitors while enabling IP expansion. Broader implication: AI democratizes art production but not art legitimation — the social structures determining what counts as "valuable art" remain as exclusionary as before, merely with new tools available to both insiders and outsiders.