A major advancement in artificial intelligence has enraged the art world. AI can make art with the help of many programs, software, and websites. All they need is access to the internet, some key words or phrases, and sometimes an image from the user. Unfortunately, being an artist is already difficult enough; with the advancement of competing technology, artists seem to be fighting a losing battle. Why is AI technology so dangerous, and what can we do to stop it before its impact becomes uncontrollable?
What it does and how it causes harm
People who aren’t very creative can use the software to make art by putting in a key word or picture. The AI then searches the internet for pictures that match the picture and word supplied. This is where the problems for artists begin; AI art often takes bits of other people’s artwork and incorporates them into the new picture without providing due credit.
Most artists share their work on social media with the aim of building a following or attracting the attention of larger corporations. Since the artist was not hired by the AI, the generator is plagiarizing by taking these works of art, no matter how small. An artist might spend years and a lot of money on a project, only to have a machine copy it and use it for free in a matter of seconds. Worryingly, there are currently no restrictions in place to regulate or ban AI from stealing other people’s work.
What You Can Do To Assist
Many artists who share their work on TikTok have begun to demonstrate that AI art can still not produce things like humans can. For example, AI bots can’t show human hands or feet very well, and to fix this, programmers would have to throw away most of their code. For those searching for a fresh self-portrait, commissioning a local artist may be a better option.
What started out as a harmless way for artists to make fun and bright art has turned out to be bad for them. While AI art might be extraordinarily beautiful or inspirational, it does more damage than good by ignoring the humans who created it. With AI art becoming more popular, the struggle is far from over. It is up to us to give to our favorite artists and finally stop utilizing AI art – before it is too late.