A.I., more specifically generative A.I., is a buzz word, a trend, a gimmick, a marketing ploy to hype software that is built on theft and on the backs of thousands of artists. Built by people that have no other goals than to enrich themselves by selling billions of images, songs, books, news articles and photos all nicely tied in a bow so that no talented or lazy people can make their own without the years of commitment, dedication and hardship, while trying to fill a void that exists in their lives with other people’s. And this not even mentioning the environmental and existential impact it brings.
As a key art and poster designer, most of my commissions are still from filmmakers or authors that are sadly also affected by this issue and share the same values as I do. Human work, interaction and art is still very much appreciated by artists alike, but sadly many other clients resort to A.I. mainly for budgetary reasons. The cost of using such technology can be high, such as P.R. nightmares which will ultimately hurt the projects and the reputations of those involved. And we are still to know how the law will regulate the use of such outputs, which can in itself be a whole new can of worms with copyright issues.
It is truly heartbreaking to read and hear stories of extremely talented artists that because of this technology are losing opportunities and their livelihood, being forced to lay down the pencil to work other jobs to be able to provide for themselves or families, and even facing depression and self-harm. It is truly sad and enraging that this is happening so that a handful of people can fill their bank accounts without an ounce of remorse and no second thoughts. And on top of this, the A.I. crowd cheering to every post or comment that points out the blatant theft that is happening, calling artists “privileged gatekeepers” and applauding the loss of jobs in the creative industry. It is sick sociopathic behavior and things need to change.
And as I mentioned before, there is an undeniable environmental impact. Data centers demand an almost unimaginable amount of energy and water to have all this data processed, which is taking the foot off the breaks completely towards a point of no return to climate change. And all for what? For a deceptive technology that found its audience in fraud, deception, scams, political interference and lies? This technology is at its core worthless and has accomplished nothing of what it keeps promising to do. Never have I heard an artist wish for this, or saying it needed it and that finally it is here. Not one. And yet, we are seeing software with the A.I. label being shoved down our throats, to make this a thing whether we want it or not, because the target audience is not the artist community, is everybody else. Artists are nothing but collateral damage.
So, what about the future? To be honest I am not very optimistic given the immense financial power behind the tech industry to push their agendas without accountability, but I cannot wait to be proven wrong. Art is inherently human and if even that is taken away, then what are we?
