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From the "X" Files



Are YOU an (AI) artist?


(Give it some thought before you label yourself!)



Today I would like to take this opportunity to vent a bit about the stigma that is associated with creating images with AI. Maybe you've eXperienced this also, or maybe you couldn't care less about it, but I do, and since I have this soap box to stand on, I'm going to use it!

Have you ever noticed that when you show some people your images and eXplain how they were created, you will often get a, "oh, you're an AI artist", comment? Sometimes in an almost condescending way, as if creating images with AI doesn't really count. This really irritates me, even though in many cases I know these comments are probably justified.

AI artwork has really gotten a bad rap, pretty much from the get go, and there are several reasons for this.

One of those reasons is from traditional artists and the art world in general, who put on a very successful, (in my opinion), campaign to place a negative attitude around AI and the people who create images with it.

They contend that ALL AI images are 'stolen' because the AI models used millions of traditional images from traditional artists to train themselves with. They say that the people who use AI are talentless and the images they create are souless and not artwork at all, as they lack the human component required to make artwork. To be honest, I DO understand their point(s), but this opinion is too generalized and certainly isn't true in all cases.

If I were a person who made my living by creating images in some way, say as a painter, illustrator, or graphic artist, I'd personally be pretty alarmed and concerned when viewing AI images and knowing the ease they are created with. It's these people who have been so vocal in getting the word out to 'say no to AI', and I get it. When any Tom, Dick, or Harry can type out a simple instruction and push a button to get an instant image, it's very threatening to traditional image creators, and I happen to agree with their assessment that this doesn't create artwork.

BUT, as any serious artist who creates with AI knows, this is seldom if ever the case when creating an image and is merely the starting point. Afterward a LOT can happen, like rewording the prompt(s) used, editing things in and out, and rerendering an image over and over until it's just right. These are the things that can turn an average, uninspired AI image into a work of art, and these are the human components needed that will give an image its human inspired artistic 'soul'.

Another reason AI artwork has such a negative view in some people's minds is because of the infamous U.S. court case that ruled no copyright can be applied to these images. Again, I understand the court's ruling in this matter, and again I think it's too generalized and doesn't apply in all circumstances.

I've mentioned these things elsewhere in my X-Files, but they're really worth repeating. The general consensus around AI artwork is negative, and this needs to change!

I'm a firm believer that it WILL change, but it's going to take years before it finally does. As AI becomes an ever increasing part of our lives, the public will become more receptive and open to what can be done with it, in all fields. This is, of course, if AI doesn't take over the world and turn us all into its slaves!

And I think the laws around AI images are just in their infancy. More cases are surely on the horizon that will fine tune these laws in different aspects of the art form. Once someone comes along and shows a court the human inspired work they put into their images to get them to look the way they do, I think the copyright ruling will be overturned, at least in some cases, or fine tuned to add stipulations.

But for now, I suppose, we're just going to have to keep living with the negative attitudes that eXist around our A.I. generated artwork. Also, as the artists who create with A.I., it is our responsibility to help educate the people around us that carry these negative opinions about our art form.

For instance, now if I get one of those "Oh, you're an A.I. artist" comments, I reply with a "No, I'm an artist that worX with A.I., there's a difference!". This opens up the conversation to allow me to eXplain how I and many others create with A.I., and how there can be a lot more things involved than just simply pushing a button and getting an image. I'm sure many folks are perfectly happy with an "A.I. artist" label attached to them, but I am not one of those people. Drop the A.I. part. I'm just an artist, thank you very much!

The AI art world is a strange place. It's full of people who have never drawn a thing in their lives, (well, maybe a stick man), and folks that can't even be bothered to write their own prompts or imagine their own ideas. When I think of the term 'AI artist', these are the people who come to my mind, and they are the folks that make 'AI artist' an oXymoron. Sadly, when truly creative people are miXed into the crowd, they get lost in the shuffle and are grouped in with the majority. It is what it is!

Anyway, I suppose I've harped on long enough about this subject now. As I type it's currently 09:30 on a gloomy rainy Sunday morning, and like any good artist, the weather has left me feeling uninspired and wanting to go back to bed!

So the neXt time someone calls you an AI artist, just think about it and whether or not it actually applies to you. If not, be sure to correct them.

That is all...for now!

"X"

October 20th, 2024