Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the latest discussion point of this generation. It’s being talked about everywhere in seemingly every possible way. It is also one of the most controversial.
AI is a form of machine learning. Technology has gotten so advanced that it can recognize patterns previously accessible only to humans. AI gets trained to do a task and, based on millions of patterns it reads, can produce something.
AI can be useful for a variety of reasons. The most notable example includes software used to calculate the costs of baked goods. Surprisingly, the same software could detect cancer cells, resulting in fewer misdiagnoses and earlier treatment.
Other practical uses for AI include its ability to detect threats to people’s finances and to grade students’ work.
However, there are many downsides to AI.
While AI art and writing are relatively advanced technologically, it’s rare to find a result that reliably passes the human eye test. This is especially prevalent in art software such as Craiyon, which commonly mangles the prompt it is given. It can be hard to get the desired image, and making small tweaks is nearly impossible.
The second and more controversial issue with AI is ethics. AI has many reasonable uses, but the issues arise when AI is applied to creative jobs. Many artists fear that AI will replace them. We’ve seen big companies see the cheap price tags of AI and have taken advantage of the opportunity. Recently, Lego company used AI art in some of their promotional material. Similarly, AI was used to create the script and ads for the infamous Willy Wonka Experience. Although these events brought a hefty amount of criticism, they also raised a new question.
Whereas, in the past, the question was simply “Could AI be used to replace creative jobs?” However, with AI’s rapid improvements, the question has become “Should AI be used to replace these creative jobs?”
Art is supposed to be a form of human expression. Therefore, the products of AI can hardly be classified as art. More problematic is that AI uses artists’ work without their permission in order to create its works. Some may argue that this is how artists get inspiration, but this is simply not true. AI is merely copying. That directive is in its code, after all.
As an artist myself, I can’t help but be wowed by how advanced the technology is, especially the many breakthroughs that have occurred just in the last few years. But allowing AI to take over the creativity and experiences of thousands of unique individuals in favor of low costs is simply despicable to me. We should continue to be promoting the individual and each person’s unique view of the world instead of leaving it up to an algorithm. The idea of AI taking over these very human jobs is straight out of a dystopia, and I’m still surprised that AI is being backed and supported by so many people and companies.
To put it simply, we are living in a time when AI is inescapable. While there is certainly tons of impressive engineering put into the software and lots of practicality too, it’s impossible to ignore that some applications are harmful. Art is something very human, and allowing it to be taken by machines should be against everyone’s morals. We should come together and band against what should be a common evil. AI is a tool being used for evil and something needs to be done in the name of human creativity and individuality.
