The topic of AI came up recently and it inspired me to make a (fairly goofy) drawing of myself facing off against a robotic copycat. I suppose it's meant to communicate the idea of being replaced of some mockery of yourself who isn't really you and can never truly replace you, but can seemingly exceed your natural capabilities. (But mostly I thought it'd be fun lol).
This in turn made me think about how automation and mass production have been the bane of trades. A lot of skills that involved creation have been replaced by the works of machines. Lots of people ended up being out of a job and it makes me wonder just how much soul we've lost in the works of our society without even realizing it.
So when one thinks about it, the advent of art-producing AI is nothing new per se. It's just another step in the sad history of machines replacing people. It's not that AI can truly ever replace us, but our society is one driven by consumerism and profit. It's sacrificed soul for efficiency numerous times for every other trade, so why stop at art?
Perhaps it's our turn to pay the piper.
I'm not sure how long this will last, because a society without soul cannot remain that way forever, because once people realize what's missing they'll seek after it. The very act of creation is a vital part of what makes us human, and a vital part of what makes a culture. It isn't just art, but sewing, cobbling, masonry, blacksmithing, arranging flowers, architecture, cooking, etc. Practically everything we do to some extent is tied to our drive and need to create.
Society may look at AI art and say "good enough". Our works may be drowned out by mass-produced schlock. But for everything someone makes with their own hands there is something inherently special that we can't quite define but know it's there. What we make shows who we are, and what we make for others shows our connections to them. That which is made by human hands will always have an intrinsic value above that which was produced by machines, because it is an expression of that person intrinsically tied to who they are.
The machine may mock us and work with greater efficiency, but being entirely material, the machine lacks the immaterial soul that sets us apart as human.
What this means for the artist job market? Dunno. But the existence of these machines doesn't invalidate my own work. The struggle, failure and imperfections that we must go through as we continue to strive ultimately builds us up, and for that reason I will much rather continue to toil than invoke the machine gods. To quote a cliche, it's not just the destination that matters, but the journey.
So I will continue having fun drawing myself as a cartoon coyote darnit. >:(
