Ever since the turn of the millennium, technology has been rapidly advancing. One particular software has made a prominent impact on today’s society: Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has the ability to summarize, write and draw. Top software companies are constantly advancing their AI and for a while, the U.S. has been competing with China. AI is a great tool, but it is costing creatives greatly. A rising debate among artists and ordinary people is “What is AI’s role in art?”
On social media, I come across many AI videos and pictures ranging from realistic history recreations to wacky tricks such as cutting rocks with a butter knife. At first, I thought that it was neat. Sure, AI can be used to give us a glimpse of the past. There are many benefits to using AI to create art, and a big one is that it is cheap and timesaving. On a superficial level, there is nothing wrong with it. However, there are downsides. One of these downsides stands out ethically: AI is stealing art.
For AI to “get better” at explaining and recreating, it must “learn.” It takes coding and training for AI to accurately retrieve information and potentially “create” based off that information. In a nutshell, it needs to analyze millions of databases and information at a time to spit out the information requested. For example, if you ask AI to solve a complex math problem, it uses the information fed to it to give you an answer. This applies with art as well. The only problem is that AI cannot just create art from scratch. Again, AI needs to “learn.” How does it “learn?” By analyzing existing art – and not just a few art pieces and calling it good – AI needs to analyze thousands, or even millions of works. Here is the catch: Good art takes time, effort and money to create. AI companies either do not have or do not want to spend money to hire people to make art. So, they resort to using existing art. For the most part, these artists are either unaware or unwilling for their art to be fed to AI. While they have been putting time and effort into creating, AI is mindlessly turning their art into cheap work others can profit off.
Another downside of AI art needs to be addressed: the freedom to create anything. What is wrong with this? A couple weeks ago, I came across an Instagram reel addressing one danger of AI creation that is far worse than stealing: exploitation. The AI in particular was programmed to age up a picture of a young child to a young woman. The user then used that image to commit all sorts of identity fraud. To be honest, I was concerned it would go down an even darker direction.
Like all things, AI can be used for both good and evil. We are a sinful society. This is not to say we do not deserve good things, and this is certainly not to say stop using AI. This is simply saying to be mindful. I do not believe that AI art is ethical. However, AI can be used to help you make better study guides, summarize a book you do not understand or create stories to keep you entertained. AI is a wonderful tool if used wisely.
