Hello everyone!
This week’s post is going to be an unedited note. For anyone who is reading this, I want to touch base on my thoughts about using AI for my blog. I am going to be completely honest and raw here on my thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, this post is specific to AI art, not AI in general because it has so many different uses beyond art that I’m not talking about today.
Something that many artists can relate to is pouring their time and energy into creating work but feeling like it’s never seen.
I have scrolled through countless online forums for artists and a big grievance I see amongst many is that their content is not reaching people. I understand the frustration but I don’t share the same frustration. Personally, I am making art for ME. I’m writing for this blog because I genuinely love writing. Therefore, it doesn’t matter to me if a lot of people read my writing, or if no one reads it. Anyway, I believe that people who create for others tend to be the ones who quit.
I’m not going to lie. When AI art blew up and took the world by storm a few months ago, it caused me to spiral into something existential. I have a lot of thoughts about the world becoming automated and feeling like things are being taken away. I first noticed AI art when the avatars came out with so many people making generated versions of themselves. I know I was supposed to see it as fun and benign, but what I really saw were soulless images.
My internal struggle with AI art is that life is hard. Post-pandemic, it’s difficult to connect with people and some days are rainy. But at least I have art! At least I can still turn my anguish into inspiration for others, or create a poem of my very own, or a drawing that I can call mine. When AI art took over, I felt like I lost that. Art became corporate and cold. Now it takes 0 talent or skill to produce something. But you know what? I have heard many takes from people in support of AI-generated art. In a way, it’s cool because I’m someone who likes to have deep discussions on dissenting views.
One of the main philosophic principles I follow is to remain open and avoid dogmatic thinking. As long as someone with opposite views as me is willing to have the same openness when it’s my turn to speak, I’m willing to have those discussions.
This morning I sat down to write an informational post. I had this thought: What if I used Chat GBT to help me with a few paragraphs? It would take me so much less time than reading, researching, and learning about the topic first. It would cut out the time spent formulating the information into my own words. Lastly, I would save hours of editing. So I tried it.
But it just felt wrong. The tone was so off and it was actually very cringe. Chat GBT was using words and analogies I would never use. “Gear up?” “Get the ball rolling?” “Become a rockstar for_?” I mean, who do you think I am, some old fella sitting in a beige room that smells like microwaved hot dogs, moaning about how much I hate my spouse?
Here’s the thing: I know that if I used AI, I would probably reach more people online. I could produce the recommended amount of blog posts with the proper SEO and reach a wider audience. But if I did that, I might as well give up. As I stated earlier, I’m making art for me. It’s the one thing I have besides nature that’s untouched.
If I used AI to help myself grow online, then I’m giving into the inauthentic nature of production. What’s the point in writing if it’s not in my own voice? Blogging helps me mentally in so many ways. It helps me to communicate better and reach people with similar interests. Blogging expands my vocabulary and allows me to form concrete beliefs that are no longer in the ether of my mind. I can take a terrible experience I once had and turn it into inspiration for others. It’s honestly amazing for my mental health. I’m not going to let AI take that away from me!
As I stated earlier, I know many people who use and love AI. It doesn’t matter to me what other people do with their lives because everyone is different. What works for others is none of my business. However, if other people can openly (or secretly) use AI art, then I will share my own thoughts on the topic.
I struggle to see AI art as authentic art. However, I see nuances such as the ways in which AI can be used to automate pop culture. For example, it helps write and produce radio hits, creates advertisements, and provides cheaper home decor.
Here is the best comparison I have of human-produced art versus AI-produced art:
Human-produced art is original and expensiveeee but not just in price. It’s truly a luxurious feel. This art is going to cost more because the artist has likely spent their entire life perfecting their craft. You are paying for the classes they took, the people they’ve spoken to, and the experiences they’ve had. You are purchasing their story and their perspective. And you get to hang that on your wall and see it every day.
AI-produced art is like the screenprint on a canvas you can buy at Target for $25 that’s going to add flavor to your living room. However, that flavor is bland, salted chicken breast and boiled broccoli. The screenprint is mass-produced in a factory on the backs of strenuous labor, in 100,000 other people’s homes, and tailored to popular and basic styles.
It’s like having the deepest connection of your life with someone who views loving you as a worship ceremony, as a privilege, and your body as the divine being it is. Versus being with someone whose touch is callous and self-serving. Someone who won’t look you in the eye. Which would you rather have?
I will never take the easy way out of using a service to write something for me instead of doing the research on my own. I have 0 desire for clicks or recognition. My true desire is authenticity, talent, and skill. I value the time and effort it takes to perfect my craft. If you find me insufferable at this point, then you’re taking this too personally. My main takeaway from this post is that while I am not against AI art for other people, I am against it for myself because it defeats the purpose of why I create.