Is an AI-generated Icon an Icon? Theological, Ecological, and Communal Considerations

Images created by generative AI have raised controversy in the art world, where critics question the ability of AI to be creative since generative programs base their output on that of previous artists.  The formulaic nature of icon painting would seem to make it ideally suited to generative AI.  Nor would the virtual world preclude the veneration of icons.  Yet most Orthodox theologians remain suspicious of digital technology.  Theologically, AI generation raises fears of a new Docetism that separates spirit and matter.  A second concern is rooted in the role of both icon and iconographer within the temporal community and the community of saints.  Through prayer and contemplation, an icon establishes a relational triad linking iconographer, saint, and viewer.  AI severs the relationship between iconographer and saint and has the potential to mislead viewers, since it is embedded in neither the community of the faithful nor of the saints.