Hello! I understand that this topic is upsetting to many. I get that, but it doesn't make me agree. If you're interested, here's a summary of my philosophy.
Are AI works art?
Absolutely. Lots of art is dogshit, and that hasn't changed throughout history. Uncreative and untalented people push out garbage, and occasionally talented and skilled people do that, too.
Output depends on the human curating it.
More below the cut.
What about the environmental impact?
I'm right there with you. Yeah, really--I have been involved with this very cause pre and post-LLM publicity. The difference is 10 years ago I was campaigning for GMOs and nuclear energy because of their reduced environmental impacts. This one is more nuanced.
We have to live with critical infrastructure that is not going to go away because some people don't like it. The statistics on environmental impact are complicated, but most social media citations are exaggerated/outdated at best and fabricated at worst.
What about data centers?
Okay, then I hope you never use YouTube, Tumblr, or need your medical data transferred ever again. I really hesitate to back bans on data centers in the US. I think this will lead to infrastructure being built anyway, but on land or in countries where people can protest the least. I'm aggressively YIMBY about a lot of things and infrastructure is no exception.
What about theft?
I've been on the internet since the 90s. I've been on the art internet for about as long, and buried under legitimate complaints are hundreds of people getting toxically precious about their creative works.
Should artists be able to sue if someone is selling their IP? Hell yes. But I follow the punching-up rule for economic IP morality personally; I value underground markets riding Disney's overinflated coattails.
Should artists protest if something looks like their style? I mean, they can, but I don't think that's helpful to anyone.
Image generation learns the shape of our words from varied examples, just like humans do. You should not be sued for looking in a museum and painting like Rembrandt. But if you sell Mario in the style of Rembrandt, I'm sure not your lawyer, but I'm not a snitch, either.
What about jobs?
I can't wish this technology away even if I wanted to. We're all going to have to live with it, and yes, that may mean job loss for some.
I think companies are wildly undervaluing human input at the moment, especially in software dev. It will bite them in the ass over time. The only thing we can do is let shortsighted companies flounder and do our best to support each other.
As for art, I think the answer is more complicated. The art market is huge. Are we talking small-time commissions, professional commissions, contract work, or giant studios?
I think the small-time commissioners may be most at risk, but their field has always been oversaturated and cutthroat-competitive. But most people in that market survive because they have good business skills. They relate to clients well, meet deadlines, and deliver expected products. Those are all human skills that will net you clients better than making them afraid to send you AI references.

















