Editorial 17/02/2024 - Generative "AI" vs. Hope for Tomorrow

 

Yeah, things have been hard.
My original draft for this post was two pages long in MLA formatting, but I scrapped it because it just came across as too negative in light of the darkness of the news in general. Yes, there have been a lot of scary things in the news, especially if you're invested at all in the arts, sciences, or education. I'm not here to cover all of it; I don't think I can. What I can do is give a quick thought and try to give people the hope to remain optimistic in these times.
I can start by saying that I have absolutely no plans to engage with any "AI" imaging, writing, audio, or video tools at any point in the future. There is potential for it to be a helpful tool for artists further down the road, but at this point, it is obvious that it relies on the theft of artists, and its primary uses can only be to spread disinformation. If I ever do change my mind, it will only be when there are satisfactory regulations in place that secure the safety of artists' copyrights and ensure its ethical usage.
I know many of my friends are worried that we're entering a sort of "post-truth" era, where the smaller artists never get their due and scientists are constantly battling falsehoods. Heck, that's one of the big reasons it took me so long to get around to posting this; there are just too many battles to fight, and it's hard to pick and choose. What I can say is this: don't give up. You're still appreciated for what you do now, and if it gets as bad as it's possible to get, we'll need people like you more than ever. I can be very cynical at times, but I honestly believe that the average person wants honesty and truth. They just need to know where to find it, and they'll easily reject something as inherently fraudulent as AI and anti-science propaganda and work to build something better. "Work Harder" and "Believe in yourself" may sound like generic platitudes, but they're ones I hold very dear, and they may just be enough to get through the worst of this.

For art!
For Science!!
FOR ADVENTURE!!!