Your post (which, BTW, is a far too infrequent event!) needs time to seep into my brain slowly; Just like clay-laden soil is slow to admit water but retains it much longer than the sandy variety. I’ll be back.
I’ll say up front that I’m retired, and I have never worked in a creative field. However, I do have acquaintances who are cartoonists. They tell how their livelihoods and the very future of their craft are being imperiled.
I have thought that a niche marketplace would be part of the solution. Then it occurred to me, and I hope fervently that I’m wrong, that the demand for AI isn’t about the product. It’s about having the newest technology and being able to show it off to everyone they know. It’s about saving money.
How do you develop a niche marketplace when the very people you want as your customers are happily buying slop? One of the frightening questions to ask is do people care. Honestly, do they care if an entire industry (as long as it’s not theirs) goes extinct?
I suspect that there were people asking that same question during the Industrial Revolution. I don’t think the Industrial Revolution ever ended. We just normalized it.
I recently learned that the company that makes my favorite walking shoes is using print ads done by AI. I’ve added that company to a growing list of companies that I’m boycotting for a variety of reasons. Would there be enough interest by the public in a similar boycott?
You mentioned science fiction. Terminator is my favorite movie. Many things that are introduced in science fiction come true. I have been horrified by the development in AI. Doing something simply because you can do it doesn’t seem like a valid justification to me.
Jenifer, thanks for these thoughts. I’ve tried to post a reply but for some reason it’s not showing up. Glitchy. So will wait to see if it finally shows up here. Anyway, thank you for your input!
All very true — thanks for these thoughts. So much to think about here. One thing I know is that human artists will never stop making art. It’s just part of being human. Whether we’ll find a place amongst the AI slop is something that we’ll have to wait and see. Thanks for weighing in. (I loved the Terminator, too! And yes, I agree— I think a lot of what we’ve seen in sci-fi novels has come true!)
I hope we’re being luddites, screaming at new technology, but it feels more like the Terminator. Luddites didn’t have the disadvantage of several decades worth of dystopian movies preceding the Industrial Revolution.
Thanks for the feedback, Alex! Let’s just hope peoples’ tastes hold up— we’ve already coined the word “AI Slop”. I’m thinking we (human artists) might have the bigger niche. We’ll see! 🙏
So many details, such a shifty devil! How many artisans & craftsmen didn't survive? Is there/will there be the same "low" demand for AI generated art-like substances, as the distributed wealth of industrialization brought about for machine-generated furniture? Will the population grow in the right places to support that? And all of this is supposing AI doesn't become self-aware, or otherwise be "taught" to value its own future over ours!
Thanks for the feedback, Hugh! As for AI becoming self-aware, or conscious….hm. Could that be the news that’s a little hyped? If it does happen then we’re done for! i hope the robots eat the tech bros first.😁
Rina, I hope you are right and love how it presented your point. I fear everyone’s taste is lowering, throwing a monkey wrench into all this.
I think people are beginning to see the “slop” for what it is, too. Let’s hope that continues. Thanks for reading it, Bob— really appreciate it!😊
Your post (which, BTW, is a far too infrequent event!) needs time to seep into my brain slowly; Just like clay-laden soil is slow to admit water but retains it much longer than the sandy variety. I’ll be back.
Yes, I don’t post as often anymore — just a lot on my hands!😬 thanks for reading!
Great job, love those😃
Nice piece, Rina. I love your art!
Thanks, David! 😊
I’ll say up front that I’m retired, and I have never worked in a creative field. However, I do have acquaintances who are cartoonists. They tell how their livelihoods and the very future of their craft are being imperiled.
I have thought that a niche marketplace would be part of the solution. Then it occurred to me, and I hope fervently that I’m wrong, that the demand for AI isn’t about the product. It’s about having the newest technology and being able to show it off to everyone they know. It’s about saving money.
How do you develop a niche marketplace when the very people you want as your customers are happily buying slop? One of the frightening questions to ask is do people care. Honestly, do they care if an entire industry (as long as it’s not theirs) goes extinct?
I suspect that there were people asking that same question during the Industrial Revolution. I don’t think the Industrial Revolution ever ended. We just normalized it.
I recently learned that the company that makes my favorite walking shoes is using print ads done by AI. I’ve added that company to a growing list of companies that I’m boycotting for a variety of reasons. Would there be enough interest by the public in a similar boycott?
You mentioned science fiction. Terminator is my favorite movie. Many things that are introduced in science fiction come true. I have been horrified by the development in AI. Doing something simply because you can do it doesn’t seem like a valid justification to me.
Jenifer, thanks for these thoughts. I’ve tried to post a reply but for some reason it’s not showing up. Glitchy. So will wait to see if it finally shows up here. Anyway, thank you for your input!
All very true — thanks for these thoughts. So much to think about here. One thing I know is that human artists will never stop making art. It’s just part of being human. Whether we’ll find a place amongst the AI slop is something that we’ll have to wait and see. Thanks for weighing in. (I loved the Terminator, too! And yes, I agree— I think a lot of what we’ve seen in sci-fi novels has come true!)
I hope we’re being luddites, screaming at new technology, but it feels more like the Terminator. Luddites didn’t have the disadvantage of several decades worth of dystopian movies preceding the Industrial Revolution.
But great comic, as always!
Yes, agreed, but AI means a far smaller, more niche marketplace for art like ours. Reaching the people who care.
Thanks for the feedback, Alex! Let’s just hope peoples’ tastes hold up— we’ve already coined the word “AI Slop”. I’m thinking we (human artists) might have the bigger niche. We’ll see! 🙏
So many details, such a shifty devil! How many artisans & craftsmen didn't survive? Is there/will there be the same "low" demand for AI generated art-like substances, as the distributed wealth of industrialization brought about for machine-generated furniture? Will the population grow in the right places to support that? And all of this is supposing AI doesn't become self-aware, or otherwise be "taught" to value its own future over ours!
Thanks for the feedback, Hugh! As for AI becoming self-aware, or conscious….hm. Could that be the news that’s a little hyped? If it does happen then we’re done for! i hope the robots eat the tech bros first.😁
I'm hoping the same trends-idea applies to newspapers.