In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence has sparked intense discussions in various industries. One of the most passionately debated topics is whether AI will ever replace human artists. This question touches on deep issues of creativity, originality, and the very essence of what it means to be human. AI technology has progressed from simple machine learning algorithms to sophisticated systems capable of generating music, literature, and visual arts that resonate with authenticity and emotional depth. As we stand on the brink of a new era, it's crucial to explore the implications of these advancements. Will AI simply augment human creativity, or could it potentially overshadow the intuitive genius of human artists?
That intro is pretty well-written, can’t argue with that. It has some grip, elaborate wording, and is decent. If you’d like to applaud someone on it, applaud AI – it’s the author.
We’re reading more and more texts that have been written by artificial intelligence, and it’s getting nearly impossible to differentiate “humanwork” from “aiwork”. It’s not only text though, as GenAI can now compose lyrics and music, make films, write novels, and create beautiful artwork. It has seeped into the creative industry, leaving artists worried – will AI take their jobs?
The Worries and the Reality
DALL-E 2 is a text-to-image model, created by Open-AI. Users provide the tool with a text prompt, such as “a photorealistic image of an astronaut riding a horse”, and DALL-E 2 creates a high-quality designed image. The possibilities with this tool are endless, and definitely cheaper than hiring a graphic designer. Not to mention faster, as it pops out the given artwork in no longer than 10 minutes. OpenAI's website states that:
Our hope is that DALL-E 2 will empower people to express themselves creatively.
DALL-E 2 also helps us understand how advanced AI systems see and understand our world, which is critical to our mission of creating AI that benefits humanity.
That hope became society’s fear, as ethical concerns were raised about technological unemployment for artists, photographs, and graphic designers.
DALL-E 2 isn’t the only “artist replacement perpetrator”, there’s also AIVA, an AI music composer writing symphonies. OpenAI’s GPT4-o is writing books and ElevenLabs is becoming a voice generation tycoon. GenAI tools are constantly being developed, enhanced, and popularized.
As a society, we’re living in a world of instant gratification. No wonder then we've turned to artists who never sleep, have constant room for new creations and improvements, and can produce immense amounts of handiwork in no time. Plus, they cost a lot less than a real person would charge, as most of these tools are free as of November 2024.
The outlook is a pretty pessimistic one, if we don’t look at the facts closely enough. Apart from being time, cost, and overall efficient, AI isn’t an artist yet, as it lacks and will never have what so many artists base their work on, which is feelings.
Sure, AI can make a beautiful painting of a couple (probably with a few missing limbs as that seems to be GenAI’s curse), but it will do it without feeling. It’s hard to imagine the prompt “create a picture of a couple with a white cloth over their heads facing each other, make it melancholic and longing” give the same avalanche of feelings as The Lovers II by Magritte. A text-to-video tool can create a movie, but doubtfully it’ll be as fabulous as Rita Hayworth in Gilda.
Humans mostly consume art to be entertained, moved, to experience something strong and meaningful. We look for emotions, which is something robotics simply do not have in them, so in the long run, their art will not suffice.
What is AI Good for?
Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. All of the tools and possibilities we’ve mentioned before are great and scary, but they were created to make things easier. Instead of worrying about it taking our jobs, we should make it work for us. With its keenness for acting on prompt, it makes for a great collaborator. Always available, never tired, always acting out on your cue.
For example, a designer can make an AI tool create a header in a specific, repetitive style, so they themselves have more time to focus on demanding, more creative projects. A writer can be provided with a text outline for a new project, or marvel at a chat’s ridiculous ideas for a storyline, which can make them think out of the box.
Will AI Erase Artists Eventually?
We’re scratching the surface of what’s to come. Artificial Intelligence has skyrocketed over the past 5 years, and it seems like a new ability is popping out every day. It’s hard to imagine the grandeur of robotics in ten years time, but every industry is in for a wild ride – through change and adaptation, and artists are no exception.
It does not mean human art erasure, though. It only signals that we should learn how to implement AI solutions to our utmost best and enjoy art as it is – a medium understood through emotions that can never be replaced.
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