AI vs Artistry: Keeping the Art in Artisanal
Truth be told, I think this is a tired debate at this point, dear reader.
The internet has firmly cemented itself into one of two camps being either for or against the use of AI in media and so one may be so bold as to ask why I should bother to comment on it at all.
The answer? Because it rustles my jimmies, that’s why, so buckle up.
First off let’s start with the obvious, that being that AI does not “create” art but generates it. What does that mean? Well, it means a computer can create art the same way madlibs creataes a coherent narrative structure, ie. it draws upon our most unhinged contributions via series of prompt. What A.I. returns as “art” is nothing more than regurgitated data. It is not, as some misguided souls will argue, actual creation born of personal inspiration.
Which brings us to point number two: use of AI is unethical in the extreme. I’ve heard pro-AI people argue that in order for a desired image to be generated you need to be skillful in the exact prompts you input, almost like you’re coding a computer. Does that take skill? Sure but the data the AI is drawing from to complete said prompt is actually the work of another human being. That’s just what AI art is: a compilation of pictures ripped from the internet that other artists have worked really hard on.
Make no mistake this isn’t “creating.” This is running someone else’s stuff through glorified photoshop and claiming you’re the next Da Vinci.
Which brings me to my final point, dear reader, of why? Why even try to do this in the first place? It doesn’t supplement your work, nor is it actually your own work in the first place but a mechanical response to your desire to produce something. It feeds that immediate gratification which plagues us, sure, but without having the discipline to do it yourself you haven’t exactly put your own artistic spirit to the test.
And isn’t that what creation is supposed be? Throwing out your work for the world to enjoy or hate? Putting your own vision and skill to the hazard? You don’t draw or write or compose because you want to be a millionaire, or popular, or viewed a certain way. No! You do it because you’ve got a vision that demands to be expressed. Do you really want to be “that person” that claims they made a portrait when all they did was request an algorithm to make one for them? I mean, come on! Making stuff is fun, right? Challenging, at times, certainly, but all great ventures are. You’re supposed to be challenging yourself, bettering yourself, honing your craft, exercising your creative voice to share a piece of your soul with the world- Not claiming stolen valor from a glorified calculator!
Besides doing so is as the youth say “straight cringe,” and if my interpreter is accurate, that’s not something anyone should aspire to be.
So don’t use AI for the love of all that is sacred. Buckle up, slap some sense into yourself and get to working. Your future self will thank you for it.
