The AI discussion.

The great war

It’s scary to think we are only in the fourth year of ChatGPT being public. It wasn’t too long ago that we were all amazed by Alexa's ability to have choppy conversations with us and answer questions on command. It feels outdated and beyond yesterday. Now it is nearly impossible to go a day without seeing something powered by AI or entirely replaced. Despite what you might think, there are real-world examples of AI that are very impressive and capable of incredible things, which only makes it scarier.

As a creative, AI is something I am firmly against; however, I also understand that it isn’t entirely the fault of the software. As a business model, morally corrupt or not, it is foolish not to follow the trends. If you own a grocery store and there is an upsurge in the sale of oranges, then you order more oranges. The way in which we use technology often dictates its evolution. The early text-to-image models became inundated with requests for image creation of artwork, concept design, illustrations and even book covers. This led to companies putting focus on finessing these parts of the creation. It became increasingly popular with logo making, and nowadays, the models encourage it. AI gave people possibilities they never had. People would flood Fiverr with artist requests of the same nature, and now they can do it independently for free. Despite my disapproval, it is entirely understandable why it became so popular.

Now AI feels like it is becoming part of the everyday, yet we are far from unity on the topic of it existence. If you stand on the dislike side, however, general statements about AI aren’t necessarily true either. For instance, when we say ‘I hate AI’ or ‘AI sucks’, we often mean something more specific, such as ‘I hate AI for creation’. The AI hate we are witnessing is based on the things that made it popular, not its actual capabilities. Making images of action figures, creating fake Marvel trailers, and trying to make Van Gogh out of a computer model are the wrong direction. Having such an easy way to replicate an artist’s voice and create new songs with their likeness is not only the wrong direction but also a moral dilemma. When I walk into a record store, I want the human experience. I want to pick up a vinyl and know somebody went through the process of making it. When I see AI vinyl records, the difference between the creator and the factory becomes too small.

Creatively, AI is a terrible thing. What was supposed to be the paintbrush has become the painter. There have been countless situations lately where AI has leaned too far into creation. A book of AI writing won an award, a book with an AI cover won an award, and an AI poem won a $5000 prize. There have been other examples where AI has been contested, leading to disqualifications and rightfully so. The joy of writing for me is the release. Writing a poem allows me to process emotions and play with language. I adore poetry because it allows our hearts to become immortal. It allows us to feel at the peak of human emotion and have that moment recorded. The written word is very much a photograph of the inside of a human body. Sometimes from directly behind the eyes. An AI model learning from pre-existing books and committing a burglary in the broadest of daylights has become some strangely accepted thing.

Objectively, this isn’t me saying that AI is all bad. I believe it would be ignorant to ignore its potential as a helpful tool when applied to the correct sector. When it regresses to being the tool, it can achieve wonders. For instance, it can analyse hundreds of lines of code in seconds. It can analyse a database and identify patterns. It can take all of the tedious jobs and make us more efficient. We somehow fell into the trap of letting AI create instead of allowing it to think and analyse. We took a smart tool and forced it to generate nonsense. We supported the thievery, then got mad standing in empty houses. I do not support AI in its current standing; however, it cannot be ignored that there is a human fault to its current presence.

Right now, we are in the eye of the AI storm. It is appearing everywhere, embedded in everything. Even on this very app, I had to opt out of AI training. I think we have to work on finding the balance. It is unrealistic to want AI to stop existing. It is a permanent fixture in our modern world, whether we want it to be or not. It is going to evolve and continue to outperform human beings at certain tasks. We have to ask ourselves whether the tasks we are asking the AI to do are necessary or the best choice. Although AI can generate you a free book cover in under a minute, do you want that to represent the hard work you’ve put into the writing? A graphic designer doesn’t just design; they brand and give ideas. If you're stuck for endings or can’t move forward in your novel, reach out to your friends or online communities. Places like this exist for that very reason. AI, a lot of the time, is a fire escape for imagination.

Recently, at a show, I saw somebody copy and paste a text message into ChatGPT and ask it to generate a heartfelt response. I know people who ask AI for advice before seeking comfort in loved ones. We must question whether this is the right move forward for ourselves and for humanity. We don’t need AI partners or AI best friends, but if you are learning a language, then I can see the upside of AI. Translation is another great use, and if AI powering it allows more people to communicate, then why wouldn’t we support it? If it helps foster connection, then it is proof that AI has positives. There are several conversations and branches I could follow at this juncture, but when you load up ChatGPT or any model, I want you to ask, do I need AI for this? If it is a major project, then would a professional be more suited? No matter how much AI evolves, it will never lie awake at night hunting for a solution in the dark. It’ll never have that ‘3 am eureka moment’ or the irreplaceable human touch. If you are stuck creatively, talk to human beings. Go into the great outdoors and look around. Ask yourself if that flashing cursor is a porch light or a trap. We are too easily walking onto the picnic blanket in the woods and falling down the seven-foot hole. The world is evolving, and as much as I try to reject its evolution, it keeps moving forward. And although it is not currently being utilised for what it’s best for, I do see potential uses; however, I stand by the belief that not everything needs an AI power engine, and not all tasks require an AI model. Some things need to remain human, and we are all one of them.

Stay true and keep kind, Woofenberry’s