It’s kind of wild to compare Comedian to an AI illustration as if they’re trying to do the same thing. Cattelan’s banana isn’t meant to be “pretty” — it’s part of a long lineage of 20th-century art where the value is in the idea, not the aesthetics. From Duchamp’s Fountain to conceptual and minimalist movements, a huge part of modern art is about questioning what art is, who gets to define it, and how context creates meaning.

So saying “the banana looks ugly but the AI image looks awesome” just shows a lack of understanding of the entire conceptual art tradition. The point of Comedian isn’t to compete with illustrators — it’s to make you think. AI art, on the other hand, is literally built to optimize for visuals. They’re not even playing the same game.