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Working artists and students left concerned as automation continues to emerge in creative spaces.
As the use of Artificial Intelligence becomes more common, concerns persist to be bid on how this will look in our future. Conversations around the topic of Artificial Intelligence are often spearheaded by the topic of generative AI, a form of AI prompt-based software used to generate text or images, things that would generally require human intelligence.
What is Generative AI, and why is it bad for artists?
Generative AI and its users have been heavily scrutinised, not just for the lack of creative integrity it makes for and its severe lack of regulation, but for its environmental impact, too. Despite its particular popularity for image and idea generation, platforms such as ChatGPT have established themselves as an alternative to a search engine, with many doing so naïve to the environmental damage it can cause, with one ‘prompt’, an AI generation platform using approximately ten times more energy than that of the typical Google search.
In addition to the pressure from environmental concerns, generative AI has become a particularly contentious issue in creative spaces, both professionally and academically. Many students studying creative or art-based courses at university have expressed concerns about their respective industries as AI continues to seep its way into them. According to a survey distributed by the Society of Authors, over a quarter of illustrators have already had their jobs terminated as a direct result of generative AI replacements, leaving many creatives and students alike in fear of the future of their respective industries, leaving students approaching the end of their time at university lacking confidence for future job prospects.
What does the popularity of generative AI mean for artists?
Many Universities nationwide have begun to encourage the use of AI as a tool within creative work, leading to a lot of concerns from students, many of whom are against AI and its use altogether.
Lily, a third-year Illustration student at Arts University Bournemouth is among those concerned for the creative industries and their future at the hands of Artificial Intelligence. Discussing the encouragement of AI use within creative settings, she expressed that “there is definitely a push to add generative AI to our toolboxes, especially at university where lecturers encourage use to use AI to aid creative progress-however I personally, avoid using AI in anyway, I think it would be hypocritical to take such an active stand against it then use it in my work”.
One thing that can certainly be highlighted is that the difference between AI and human-made art is the process of creation and intention. Regardless of the technical ability of an AI generation platform, it cannot generate imagery with the intention of human-made art, due to the visual aspect of generative AI art being almost exclusively created amalgamating stolen art and images, “you can tell the difference between the difference AI ‘art’ and human art, human art has soul, AI art is soulless”.
Even without having to use generative AI in creative fields, those working, or looking to work in them are practically left without choice but remain wary of threats posed by generative AI and artificial intelligence in the arts whether this be in the form of possible job replacements, use of AI ‘art’ alongside human-made art, or AI use in other formats, making an already difficult to manage industry, even harder to navigate.