In this essay, Danny Oppenheimer argues that prompt engineering — the craft of writing inputs for generative AI — is emerging as a new artistic medium, akin to how photography challenged and transformed painting. He draws a parallel to the 19th century, when critics feared cameras would render painters irrelevant. But instead of ending art, photography expanded it in unexpected, radical ways.
Oppenheimer suggests that the “tool is not the threat.” While early reactions to AI echo those fears — that machines will replace human creators — he insists that what matters is how prompts are composed. Like a painter choosing their brushstroke or a photographer framing a shot, a good prompt requires creativity, skill, and iteration.
He also emphasizes that art has always been collaborative. Whether it's a writer and editor, a composer and performer, or a sculptor and their tools, creativity thrives in dialogue. In the same way, prompt engineering is a dynamic conversation between human and machine — a kind of improvisational jazz where both partners influence the outcome.
Finally, Oppenheimer calls for embracing this shift rather than fearing it. He acknowledges real risks — from plagiarism to bias — but argues that regulation, not rejection, is the solution. The role of the modern prompt engineer, he concludes, could be as transformative as Picasso was in his time: not wielding a brush, but wielding language and logic, sculpting with words instead of paint.
