Introduction
Being an artist myself, I’ve always been inspired and captivated by the thrill of seeing a piece of art, opening up my eyes to reveal hidden worlds of possibility, wonder, and emotion. Art is something more than just visual expression, it captures the essence of what it truly means to be human. Considering the rapid growth of AI – though seemingly impressive, has the potential to negatively affect the abstract connections humanity has with art. The uniqueness and individuality through human society can lead to practical losses as well with AI automation potentially being the leading cause for the loss of many job opportunities. Many individuals, who partake in jobs specializing in their own skilled, artistic endeavors, are at risk.
To put it simply, this means a future where artists can no longer express their creativity; the matter in question remains a contentious topic today, yet this extends far beyond art, conflicting every media you've ever enjoyed as well.
The Exploitation of Artificial Intelligence
AI has been around in a basic form since the 1950s, however with the computational capacity we now have with advanced GPUs, AI can now accomplish things we never thought possible. As artificial intelligence has evolved, I can’t help but wonder if it will begin to challenge the power of art. They say artificial intelligence is the future, and that it will truly revolutionize industries, reaching new heights and creating potential for generations ahead of time. However, what if this so-called “progress” we have been making comes at the costful expense of human creativity? Everything we’ve strived for, built, and poured our hearts into, just gone in an instant – and it all starts with an AI-generated prompt. Allegedly “harmless”, but this is just the beginning of an all-gone future for human creativity where we only learn to become solely dependent on AI.
The reality is that the value of human passion for art is something that AI cannot replace, or replicate. The passion and dedication of artists could easily be undone by AI, taking away the depth and meaning of true art. As society becomes more aligned with artificial intelligence, day by day, the more integrated it becomes in daily life. Doubts expressed about the use of AI begin to gradually fade away, raising concern for our future. The exploitation of these advancements will only start growing from today, and, before long–which, according to digital product designer Matt Corral-- will threaten to monopolise the means of creation, challenging our ideas about ourselves and our world. The very existence of human artistry, enrapturing the vivid emotion, struggle, and soul behind every masterpiece to have been created is monumental alone. To have something as imposing as artificial intelligence makes real art lose its worth.
As we continue to underestimate the capabilities of AI, it makes its way into creative fields, which threaten the livelihoods of many artists worldwide. Some might argue that AI-generated art is just another tiny step in the vast evolution of technology. After all, new innovations have always changed the way we create. Yes, but this is a great contradiction from AI. It is not a tool, but it creates unoriginal pieces of art by integrating real human-made content. Kennedy Prinster, a senior and artist at FHN, challenges the misuse of artificial intelligence, claiming: “AI art, in reality, is a database that has, frankly, stolen a bunch of art from online, put it into a big database, and then when you write a prompt, it scrambles it all together and creates vaguely what you want” – and this isn’t even an exaggeration. The reality is, this is what art has become and will come to evolve to. Loosely, AI cannot truly replicate the raw emotion that is felt behind the works of some of your favorite media. This predominantly affects the lives of many artists, and shortly, it won’t even be considered a viable career. Is that really the future we want for artists?
Conclusion
With this in mind, is it truly fair for AI to profit off of human talent? What is stopping AI from replacing other forms of human expression as well? Yes, AI is powerful, but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of human creativity. Art will soon be stripped of the very thing that makes it special: human emotion. Art was a new beginning for human creativity–to have this taken away is like being stripped of our identities. A reality where we can no longer express our emotion through the brilliance of art, replaced by simple AI automations; it paints a bleak picture for the industry of art. Art is more than just visual interpretation, it is what creates interconnectedness between artists; AI cannot imitate what makes it special – the human experience behind them.
Preceding this, AI has already begun stealing the livelihoods of many passionate artists. The number of illustrator jobs in China drops a tremendous 70%–according to Leo Li, a gaming industry recruiter–solely due to the widespread availability of AI tools. We consume media every day. Imagine a future where all that you consume on the internet is merely AI generated. AI should not pave the way for our future–we as human beings have the potential to make our artistry worth something more than an automated prompt. This raises ethical concerns for our future regarding art, as companies profit off of plain theft while artists gain nothing.
This is what it comes down to: a future where media downgrades and everything is automated due to the exploitation of artificial intelligence. The time is now; society as a whole must take control of our future and rely less on AI technology to preserve the creativity, passion, and emotion that has permeated our culture and societies since the dawn of mankind.
Works Cited
Merchant, Brian. “AI Is Already Taking Jobs in the Video Game Industry.” Wired, 23 July 2024, www.wired.com/story/ai-is-already-taking-jobs-in-the-video-game-industry/.
Corrall, Matt. “The Harm & Hypocrisy of AI Art.” Matt Corrall, Matt Corrall, 2023, www.corralldesign.com/writing/ai-harm-hypocrisy.
Clark, Cherry, and Sadie Ortmeyer. “The Consequences of Artificial Intelligence Made Art.” FHNtoday.com, 28 Feb. 2024, fhntoday.com/2024/02/28/the-consequences-of-artificial-intelligence-made-art/.
About the Author
Fatima H. is a dedicated visual artist with a strong interest in the intersection of art and emerging technologies. Her work explores the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and the creative process. She has authored papers examining the impact of AI on the artistic community and aspires to build a professional career in the visual arts.