IS A.I. REPLACING ARTISTS
The future of art museums
Look at any popular news and entertainment website across the web. I am sure you have been flooded with discussions of AI image generators and chatbots creeping into every industry. The fact is that AI is here and going to stay. It's amazing and much needed in many fields, from patient care to programming. I, for one, am all for technological advancements. Suppose my kids can grow up and spend their lives exploring the world rather than sitting in an office for 40-plus hours a week simply because there is no need for a workforce and their needs are met. Then awesome. I want that for them. Who doesn’t want a better life for the generations under us?
But my question isn't about its pros for civilization; it's more about how it affects and changes entertainment and art. Will it truly replace every artist's dream of creating and be replaced with a few word prompts? Well, I spent the past few weeks playing around with it, and to me, the short answer is an overwhelming NO. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why it is a great tool but it can never replace putting paint to canvas or the click of a camera.
The Matrix Argument
I am sure that within my life, and if not mine, then my kids' lives, there will be devices that you can buy or possibly even have installed in you that will create an endless playlist of perfect music without waiting for a band you like to write a new hot single. Like an episode of black mirror. You will go, "What if the Punisher went toe to toe with Jason Voorhees?" (a concept I explored and a short fan film I made over eight years ago)
jason vs punisher
So Imagine a device that will explore your ideas for you. It will create a feature-length movie based completely on that concept. You could even market it in a way where customers would buy actors and character skins or voices to have them featured in your one-of-a-kind movie.
It sounds like a dream come true, but is it? In the movie The Matrix, a part of the dialogue sticks out. When the computers were building the Nero network, their original matrix was perfect because there was no "bad," and the human brain rejected it. And this is a recurring theme within fictional writings that talk about this path we are on. In the TV show The Good Place, they reference how infinite entertainment all at once becomes dull almost immediately.
AI-generated art can very easily become boring and overwhelming because it is so readily available.
It's All the Same
When I say all the same I don’t mean identical. I mean it all looks like they made an interactive “It’s the same Picture” meme
Completely Different Command Prompts formed these 2 images
from my experiences and the images I have seen others create, I can not find anything that makes me go "wow" because it all looks the same. If I had to describe all AI art, it looks like a MySpace page where someone got too into HTML coding and glitter effects.
Like if you were at an underground dubstep punk band being held on the Vegas strip of neon lights, and you could visually see the feedback from the cheap microphones they were using, which I typed into the prompt command on mid-journey and was not disappointed at the return.
The truth is, although it will get better, all the images it creates are like the renderings of a video game where, as you're playing, you know what it's supposed to be "a rock wall" or "a bookshelf," but if you stare at it, it's just a weird shape.
A fever dream where you're trying to read, but something is off, and the shadows are dancing, and you can't even tell if you look like what you're supposed to, but you don't know you're asleep. They are artificially abstract, and that's not to say they are bad, but unlike a painting, there is no reason behind the brush strokes.
This brings me to one of the biggest reasons artists won’t be replaced by A.I.
It Simply Lacks A Heart
This is the overall truth. A lot of what makes a good piece of art is the story behind it, more than the image itself. A picture says a thousand words, which means something to works of art that people create by hand rather than typing 10 words into a text box. One of the reasons digital never truly replaced film is because film processing automatically creates a story to be told with images.
It makes financial sense to shoot things like weddings with a digital camera. There is also nothing wrong with an artistic person using digital cameras to create, much like I wouldn't toss my nose up at someone who only creates using AI and calls themselves an artist. Honestly, It takes a lot of work to fix the simple mistakes AI makes like 10 fingers on a single hand or a plane with 2 wings facing the wrong direction. Those images however will never resonate the same way as seeing a street artist paint their heart out while walking the streets of NYC. They will sell products and help companies develop concepts. They absolutely have a place in the art world. I’m not saying they don’t. but when looking into the eyes of an image coded into existence
I can’t help but feel its lifelessness when art is supposed in a way to bring fiction to life.
AI art lacks a soul and should be viewed as a creative tool rather than a replacement for human artists. However, the technology absolutely has great potential and use.
In A Nutshell
So will AI replace artists? Absolutely not; does it affect the industry massively? Yes, there is no denying that many mundane tasks and jobs will be replaced within corporations simply because of cost. The true impact of how that affects the workforce will have to be seen. Jobs will likely be replaced for some in the same way call centers were replaced by the ever-annoying robotic answering services we all dread trying to make our way through when we have to call to get a technical issue fixed.
However, in many ways, I'm sure the type of employment will shift rather than be replaced. You will have small teams of people adding the missing soul and removing the cookie-cutter feel. I enjoy AI, but when it comes to art, there will always be a market for something that takes time and emotion to create. There is a reason humans still visit Renaissance fairs, shoot on film, and visit museums. There will always be a place for simplicity and traditional ways of life that require more ingenuity.
Professor Vince Briffa, from the Faculty of Digital Arts at the University of Malta, said:
‘In my opinion, such technologies should be seen as tools to aid the creative and not to replace her. The technology has a lot of potential, I see it as an assistant to art practice, just like the Internet, the library, YouTube, etc., are, helping the creative to know the limits of the field that is being looked into… any other uses which are currently grabbing the limelight due to their wow factor are possibly short-lived. I feel that such technology should become part of the artist’s toolbox.’
Artists have a special perspective and emotional touch that cannot be reproduced by AI apps. As a result, the role of artists in society remains crucial since they add beauty, significance, and emotional depth to the world.
***All Images in this post were created using MidJourney Text to Image A.I. Generator utilizing Prompts dictated by Bryan Wark***
