Art has been around since the beginning. Cavemen could draw figures on walls showing stories and how they would hunt for food. It’s an important piece of history. These drawings would depict people moving, dancing, hunting, and any other movement they could do. There weren’t any cameras around; these pictures were proof of us existing and breathing. To this day, art still remains relevant as graphic design, acting, animation, and photography. As technology advances could physical art not exist anymore?
Around 2022, social media started buzzing about something new: a new era of technology. Generative AI is a feature where you can create anything you desire. Apps like Instagram introduced an AI assistant that can answer any question you want. It provides you advice not only fact based questions but lifestyle as well. While AI has been around for years, it was mostly used for medical research or engineering.
AI is a tool meant to help with research, it wasn’t trained to make “images” or silly videos of cats dancing. Generative AI wasn’t much of a threat to artists; it couldn’t generate a face. It was a mix of colors and shapes that was incomprehensible.
Entering 2024, AI was rapidly improving, being able to make clear faces and clear images, taking art styles from other artists who post on social media. It became clear that generative AI is an issue for artists. Conventions such as Comic Con and Anime Expo were being infested with stands selling AI artwork and scamming people who thought it was actually drawn by a creator. Artists claim they have been terminated from their jobs because it was cheaper to produce AI than pay an artist to work. Then to top it off, AI videos have taken over as well. Videos of cats dancing, commercials, and people vlogging.
People have worked hard to create art: it’s proof we’re human. It feels like people are trying so hard to replace the work humans have created. We’re trying to get rid of everything we worked to make. Our mark on history. There’s no soul in a robot, it doesn’t have a heart, it doesn’t have emotions, it can just spit out what anyone wants. The prompt was made by a person but the image was made by AI. Individuals who defend AI argue that it makes art accessible for everyone who can’t use their hands or even pick up a pencil. Beethoven was blind, Frida Kahlo had constant pain all over her body, Stevie Wonder is blind, and Mariam Pare is paralysed from the neck down. Art is accessible and has always been. All people need is the will to learn.
The threat of AI against artists still stands strong and artists now are actively speaking out and taking preventative measures against AI stealing work. The precise movement of the hand, stroke of the brush, the blood and tears shed when creating are signs of passion, dedication, love and hate which are what make us human.
