Greetings my mighty loyalist,
I have been inspired to finally write my opinion and take on AI.
I have no idea if the above image is AI or not. I could do the research and find out, but this image does what it needs to do, and if I asked AI, it could probably replicate it perfectly. So quite frankly, I don’t care and you probably wouldn’t if I didn’t point it out. For me, this is will be the best that AI can offer. A stock-ish image that grabs attention and does nothing else.
So, as new AI news comes out, I continue to slave away writing, drawing, and promoting alongside a day job that pays some of my bills and leaves me empty handed by the end of it. However, it does offer an opportunity to continue my love of creation. Why would I do this when I can generate images and art RIGHT THIS MOMENT? I don’t want to. I like, no; I LOVE making comics. When an entire comic book is done and I can put my name on it, I feel like a person in this world. And then when people BUY IT! Holy crap. It’s euphoric. Don’t even get me started if they say “Hey that was kinda cool.”
So what keeps me from making an AI book? Well, there are a many technical reasons, but those reasons are quickly evaporating as the technology advances. Still, there is a much more rooted reason. Generated artwork It is valueless.
Many AI boiz TM, are praising and gloating the incoming meteor on society. One of these is that AI will slaughter the art industry. As an artist I’ve had to consider the death of my passion. Given some thought, however, the true market for art seems to always come full circle. When someone makes an art piece with their hands, on real mediums, with real materials that people can touch. That holds a lot more value than a piece I can make digitally and replicate. Even though making art digitally is easier, faster, more colorful, and yields a lot more potential with effects and tools. This is because a person was behind it, forced to use their time and hands to make a one of one. So what are people to think when their ad infinitum movies and reels don’t stop getting pumped out?
If everyone can make movies, why will anyone watch anything else but what they make themselves? If everyone comes to learn how easy this becomes then why will what they see ever be impressive? What gives this “creative freedom” value? Will everyone just go home to the AI machine and zombie out in their AI VR, playing their AI video game, getting their AI news, and start slug maxing? I suppose it’s possible. Many people try their best to replicate that route right now. But, let’s return to the question. Is there value in that?
I don’t think so. I think for every 1 person like that there will be 10 that want to enjoy the real world. I don’t doubt AI is going to have areas it accesses in parts of life, but there is no way that having an infinity button to entertainment is what people find valuable. There would be nothing exploratory. Filters would make %99 of AI nothing but fodder. So unless we just get our consciousnesses uploaded to the mainframe, the robots, like everything else, will be filtered to the most valuable. I cannot see the future, but this seems like the most likely scenario at the end of the tunnel.
There is another possibility. Just as access to some things get relegated to the rich, powerful AI tools might also. Investors and big business have never had the best interest of free access. Your most powerful of AI able to make full movies may get priced out the common man anyways. There’s no one to stop them except for their incessant competition.
Listen, I understand it’s just going to get better. I as an artist am fucked, we always have been. I’m just trying to understand how you make this valuable if it’s just going to be accessible to everyone? If you find these creations to be cool, you will find millions more to be cool. Entertainment will have to come full circle because people will understand that it’s not impressive to make a flawlessly animated movie in an hour. (“congrats, my mom generated an alternate season 4 to breaking bad the way she wanted. Big whoop about your generated movie.”)
What happens when the robots start to weld? When a robot can be a plumber? Or AI tools start to tell the common man exactly how to fix their plumbing issue? Self driving trucks are still being tested and produced. A robot never gets tired. A robot never complains. A robot never gets pregnant. A robot never eats. A robot never needs vacation. And a robot will work for free after some investment. Some of this is good. There are many jobs that people do that they would rather not, but everyone is going to have to face severe growing pains to figure out how this world operates after. I can tell you the corruption that is over a century deep in our government, media, and societies are not helping, though. I believe if it were not for that, this transition would be an easier pill to swallow. Though, I believe I have gone on long enough.
I will continue to create because I love it. No matter what value society decides to put on that is up to it, but it’s priceless to me. Thank you all so much for reading.
