Thank you so much for sharing such a considered and thoughtful discussion about this, I feel much the same as you and it makes me sad (but doesn’t surprise me) to hear that people high up see things that way.
Thanks for chiming in, Michelle! I agree with you and Birgitte and am trying not to let myself despair too much about the state of creativity today, but it's hard knowing that people in power have this view.
You know Kate what troubles me even more is the speed and willingness with which so many creatives have agreed to sprint to the edge of the cliff, the moment they found out there was a cliff. I can understand the value and benefit that AI is perceived to deliver, but a lot of the reaction seems to be stemming from FOMO on the one hand, and on the other, an intense desire to grab this new shiny thing to get ahead of everyone else, ramp up revenue, and/or avoid having to do the hard work.
What happens all too often at about 36,000 feet, where that rarefied air starts, is a disconnection from Earth. I've seen it in my days in Hollywood, interviewing VIPs in various sectors, and in UN conferences. In some ways it's a natural progression... when your environment thinks and feels a certain way, it becomes challenging to resist it. But interestingly, it doesn't depend on your title. It depends on your will and your character. I had a tech CEO tell me once, years ago during an interview, that power and status really test your character, and you need to work to stay strong to avoid those things from getting to your head.
I can also share that I've met people of very high stature (literal rock stars, presidents of countries, well-known film actors, and plenty of people high up in tech) who have retained that strength of will and connection to the "people."
Katy, this has been on my mind too! I literally just wrote about the same thing. The art of Art is being lost - Art gives us insight into the emotions, views and experiences of the author or artist. AI simply does not have an emotion and is forming it's views based on millions of data points from other real people sharing their feelings. I worry the next generation won't go back and enjoy to classic books and art from those that came before us, because they're too hung up on reading AI content and looking at AI art. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!
You're definitely not the only one Heather. Keep speaking out about this, keep writing about it. We should mention and x-post all of our writing on this topic—plenty of artists, writers, musicians (think of the dumb song lyrics AI has done), and other creators who feel the same as we do. I'm not giving up and I'm not giving in. I will never put an AI-written book on my bookshelf, or buy a print made by AI. This is nothing less than the most profound, comprehensive, and breathtakingly complete form of colonial extraction humanity has ever seen. It is nothing less than the extraction of our very soul. And the dark irony is that so many people are willingly, actively participating in it. They're literally climbing over each other to be the first to get to that cliff.
Yes Birgitte! Exactly that. It's actually really comforting knowing there are many of us out there who feel this way. Let's use AI to help in healthcare or help predict natural disasters, let's not use it to be a voice in Art and Literature. I completely love your perspective on this, thank you!
So very welcome Heather. The more of us who continue to insist on human artistry, creating it, supporting it, appreciating it, the more nourishment and protection it will receive. To your point, and this is something my colleagues in the sustainability sector and I have been saying, use the power of AI to do some actual good in the world. As in, climate heathcare manufacturing delivery transportation etc etc... and leave the creative professions to humans!
Well, Ok, a singer is not a singer if she doesn't sing...but what is she?
If someone were, using the tools at their disposal, to put together a really wonderful and inspiring 'song', using no real human voice but did a really marvellous job of putting it together, what would they be?
If I come up with a story prompt, characters, etc and have an AI write the story, like and keep the parts I like, delete or change the parts I don't, edit several times, and publish it... what am I? I am more than an editor... since it was my idea. A 'story inventor'? A 'story director'? Do we need a new term?
Thank you so much for sharing such a considered and thoughtful discussion about this, I feel much the same as you and it makes me sad (but doesn’t surprise me) to hear that people high up see things that way.
Thanks for chiming in, Michelle! I agree with you and Birgitte and am trying not to let myself despair too much about the state of creativity today, but it's hard knowing that people in power have this view.
You know Kate what troubles me even more is the speed and willingness with which so many creatives have agreed to sprint to the edge of the cliff, the moment they found out there was a cliff. I can understand the value and benefit that AI is perceived to deliver, but a lot of the reaction seems to be stemming from FOMO on the one hand, and on the other, an intense desire to grab this new shiny thing to get ahead of everyone else, ramp up revenue, and/or avoid having to do the hard work.
YES! I see the avoidance of the "hard part" of the creative process as the most depressing part of the rush to embrace these tools
YES!
What happens all too often at about 36,000 feet, where that rarefied air starts, is a disconnection from Earth. I've seen it in my days in Hollywood, interviewing VIPs in various sectors, and in UN conferences. In some ways it's a natural progression... when your environment thinks and feels a certain way, it becomes challenging to resist it. But interestingly, it doesn't depend on your title. It depends on your will and your character. I had a tech CEO tell me once, years ago during an interview, that power and status really test your character, and you need to work to stay strong to avoid those things from getting to your head.
I can also share that I've met people of very high stature (literal rock stars, presidents of countries, well-known film actors, and plenty of people high up in tech) who have retained that strength of will and connection to the "people."
This is so true! It really is a test of that.
Oh the CEOs....sigh.
Right??? I wish I didn't know what they were thinking!
Great piece. Writers, cherish your agency as a writer.
Katy, this has been on my mind too! I literally just wrote about the same thing. The art of Art is being lost - Art gives us insight into the emotions, views and experiences of the author or artist. AI simply does not have an emotion and is forming it's views based on millions of data points from other real people sharing their feelings. I worry the next generation won't go back and enjoy to classic books and art from those that came before us, because they're too hung up on reading AI content and looking at AI art. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!
You're definitely not the only one Heather. Keep speaking out about this, keep writing about it. We should mention and x-post all of our writing on this topic—plenty of artists, writers, musicians (think of the dumb song lyrics AI has done), and other creators who feel the same as we do. I'm not giving up and I'm not giving in. I will never put an AI-written book on my bookshelf, or buy a print made by AI. This is nothing less than the most profound, comprehensive, and breathtakingly complete form of colonial extraction humanity has ever seen. It is nothing less than the extraction of our very soul. And the dark irony is that so many people are willingly, actively participating in it. They're literally climbing over each other to be the first to get to that cliff.
Yes Birgitte! Exactly that. It's actually really comforting knowing there are many of us out there who feel this way. Let's use AI to help in healthcare or help predict natural disasters, let's not use it to be a voice in Art and Literature. I completely love your perspective on this, thank you!
So very welcome Heather. The more of us who continue to insist on human artistry, creating it, supporting it, appreciating it, the more nourishment and protection it will receive. To your point, and this is something my colleagues in the sustainability sector and I have been saying, use the power of AI to do some actual good in the world. As in, climate heathcare manufacturing delivery transportation etc etc... and leave the creative professions to humans!
Well, Ok, a singer is not a singer if she doesn't sing...but what is she?
If someone were, using the tools at their disposal, to put together a really wonderful and inspiring 'song', using no real human voice but did a really marvellous job of putting it together, what would they be?
If I come up with a story prompt, characters, etc and have an AI write the story, like and keep the parts I like, delete or change the parts I don't, edit several times, and publish it... what am I? I am more than an editor... since it was my idea. A 'story inventor'? A 'story director'? Do we need a new term?