"They took our jobs!" Contemplation

Hello there!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the controversy surrounding AI in art. There’s this deep worry among artists that they’ll no longer be appreciated, needed, or able to make a living from their talent and skill. So, I just had to get these thoughts out somewhere!

Why is AI art so concerning? Why is it a big deal? And is it a bad thing, a good thing, or just… a thing?

First of all, let’s acknowledge that this isn’t humanity’s first existential crisis over a technological shift.

I have to point out that we once thought breathing under water and not having thumbs is alright. We also once thought that hunters are the most important part of the pack, until we planted wheat and milked a cow for the first time. Hunters were very sad that day.

The Industrial Revolution in 18th century had people panicking as machines literally took their jobs. Then, in the 1980s, Tetris came along, and I bet board games manufacturers had an existential meltdown. And I can only guess how the yellow pages organized a collective sob session when Yahoo! launched its first search engine in 1994.

But art? Art was always different.

Art isn’t just another skill—it’s a masterpiece of complexity. To create art, you need creativity, talent, emotion, determination, discipline, confidence, education, experience... You kinda need to be high and sober at the same time. Artists are the ultimate multitaskers, both dreamers and doers.

Surely, no one could outclass this complex and unique skillset by simply typing “flower, yellow, painting, van Gogh style, high quality” into an AI and just wait a bit, right? There’s no way to win at art without hard work, right?

Well… maybe it’s time to panic just a little. (prompt used - flower, yellow, painting, van Gogh style, good quality))

I call this image \"Evolution in Revolution\"

The thing is that AI-generated art is here, and it’s really good. While my little “sunflower” might not make it to the Amsterdam museum anytime soon, what about my more complex pieces? Could they pose a real threat to talented painters? What about my AI-generated pop song? Could it steal listeners from hardworking indie artists? Or my ChatGPT script turned into an image-to-video creation... Could it overshadow an ambitious theater actor who’s on the verge of “making it”?

Honestly? Yeah, maybe...

AI doesn’t require the traditional artistic skillset to produce a pleasing result. It’s not necessarily "art" in its process, but it’s certainly an art product. We just no longer need the yellow pages to find the best hunter in the city...

Art has always been an exclusive commodity for artists. The ability to capture a vision from your mind onto a canvas, into a melody, or through a script used to feel like pure sci-fi for most of us. But the lack of craftsmanship doesn't equal the lack of creativity and now, the tools to make those dreams tangible are available to everyone. And I think that’s absolutely beautiful.

On the other hand, AI art is kinda like IKEA furniture. It’s accessible, affordable, and functional. But we’ll always value a handmade chair more and we'll always respect the wood worker more. If someone tells you, “This chair is custom-made and hand-carved,” you’ll get much more excited, right? AI might be on its way to dominate the market, but the artistry and craftsmanship of human creators will always be what we truly love!

I feel for artists who will struggle in this process. I do. Every industrial revolution comes with pain, and it’s awful. But the silver lining is that more people can now express themselves creatively in ways they never could before, which is fascinating! Even better, individuals can now master AI tools to actually compete with the biggest players in the industry. And tell me, what other industry allows a single person to challenge the big dogs like this?

AI art is definitely not the end of human creativity. I actually feel it might be the other way around.

This topic is something I've been thinking about for a long time now and the urge to write it down came from this tiny little but persistent feeling of guilt every time I generate some piece of AI art, haha - I'm always thinking: "Someone put decades to be able to draw/compose something like this..."

I look forward to your opinions and experience in chat! :-)