As an artist who works in an industry that is running alongside A.I. at the moment, I get a lot of questions regarding my opinion of A.I. It has taken me some months to really understand where I land on the subject, because I don’t believe it is a subject on which someone can have just an opinion. When thinking about A.I. my mind goes many places, Terminator movies for one, but then to a more current present and immediate future. I have many thoughts about this technology and to be honest my emotions get a little heightened when speaking about it. That being said, I felt it was high time that I put my thoughts out there for those who wish to know and continue to engage on the subject.
First and foremost, I think the technology is inherently…cool. I mean, we’ve taught computers to scroll the anthology of human creation and make amazing images using words and prompts. That’s cool. Some of the art is really neat and I’ve seen some things that make me think, and I believe that is the key component to this new technology. We should be thinking about it and what is being created. Like all art, it is meant to be consumed, yes, but it is also meant to spark ideas, feelings and thoughts. I’m not going to analyze A.I. art in this blog post today, but I have seen some pieces that have, shall I say, haunted me as I moved through the process of enjoying a piece of art, to then realizing it was A.I., moving through the feelings of awe and disappointment at the same time, to finally land at the question: what was the author thinking when they wrote that prompt and what was their ultimate intention?
When it comes to being a paid artist in the world where A.I. is starting to “break into the industry”, I get sad and frustrated. There are so many layers to this, but let’s cover a big one first. Artists struggle on the daily to be recognized as professionals. People who have talent that has not appeared overnight, but has been practiced and perfected over decades. There have been tears, critiques, improvements, piles and piles of pens, paper, computer software, mistakes, museum visits, education and practice, practice, practice. Then we hang our sign and say we are open for business only to be asked by peers and clients alike if we will do it for exposure, pro-bono or at a discount. We stand our ground and make head-way, get paid appropriately for the skills, training and labor that goes into making art only to then turn around and find that the same art is now being created in mere seconds by an algorithm.
It stings. Artists are rightfully angry, frustrated and hurt. I’m not even going to touch on the subject of art theft, which is very real, has been covered in depth and deserves it’s own platform.
“But what about making an artists life easier?”, you ask.
Well, yes, there is that. Adobe and other programs are coming up with some fun ways to make life easier. Generative fill for backgrounds, photo editing options, ChatGPT supplied expressions, quick style references and more. These allow artists to do the tedious things quickly and move on to creating, which can save time and money, so yes, I’m all for it.
To a point.
I feel it is important to mention, that many artists get into the industry because they love making art. We don’t love entering prompts into a computer so that we don’t have to do our art anymore. That is absurd. We want to do the art. We want to go through the process of trial and error and discovery. Actors love to act, cinematographers and photographers love capturing light and subject through their lens, painters love painting, designers love to design, animators love creating motion. Yet those that don’t create are giving these tasks to an A.I. that doesn’t love what it does, it simply does what it is told.
Ultimately, I believe there will be and should be a balance. There will always be those that need some artwork, yet for whatever reasons can’t or don’t want to afford personalized art from a professional artist. That’s fine, A.I. is for them and I’m happy for that. There will be an in-between for those who want the personalized touch, but can’t afford the long hours and back and forth, A.I. and your artist can work together to create amazing things within budget. Finally, for those with the time and money to bring something truly unique into the world, your artist is there with all the skills, experience and humanity at their fingertips.
To address myself as an artist working with my clients to create video and motion design products, I feel strongly that I should state here and now that I’m not an A.I. artist.
Will I use A.I.? Maybe. A tool here or there to streamline a process is certainly not off the table.
Or if opportunity presents itself as the best possible scenario to solve a client’s problem without sacrificing my own boundaries and beliefs regarding the support of art and artists everywhere, then I may use A.I.
There are tools, as mentioned above, that I find exciting and some that I find unsettling and disappointing. As an artist, I’m interested in striking that balance when possible, but as a whole, I’m more excited about getting my hands dirty and using my skills and experience to create unique works of art for my clients.
If you are curious to dive deeper into this topic this short article by David Palumbo explores the use of A.I. in creative spaces. His writing is intelligent and heartfelt in explaining the loss of creativity and process when we look to computers for something that humans are uniquely designed to do. It’s a short 7 minute read, that I highly recommend.