I thought the same about AI until this summer... I was at a taiji retreat and met an awesome, fearless and inspiring young Iranian woman. She arrived in a whirl of wildly hand-painted luggage and clothing, then sat down and drew in a sketchbook, straight into ink, free, loose, confident, while enjoying Sam’s guitar improv. We introduced each other to new aspects of exploring nature, taiji, qigong, spirit, art, cultural misunderstandings and judgments and much more. Turned out she is also a science professor, pilot, specialist in epidemiology, and fascinated by creative aspects of AI…
Oh, I stopped in my tracks, really?
Then she showed me all kinds of AI experiments she’d done with paintings and suggestions and words and photographs and wild silliness. She had been having the same fun with AI as she had with painting her suitcase or surprising new friends, rolling an aircraft or taking risks with finding her way around repressive authority.
Here was someone really alive, creative and fearless, in ways that took me delightfully by surprise.
Her AI adventures were just another reflection of her being, very natural for her to play with and experiment. They had a real individuality. Playful, striking, hilarious, challenging and very different from my expectations. ‘Just go play’ she said, sending me a link.
I hear you, and I am sure there is much fun to be had by people with AI. However, I am more interested on how it affects society as a whole over time and who loses out. I know lots of artists and musicians whose work was used as learning fodder for the AIs and they are routinely ripped off, plagiarised and lose work because of them. Superb artists I know of are involved in class lawsuits against the companies in USA who syphoned their images into their AIs and now churn out things in their style, but had denied doing so. Documents revealed they did know what they were doing and fully infringed copyright and intellectual property laws. Interesting times.
Fun is nice. Creativity is a creaturely affair. Each to their own.
Interesting times indeed and I hear you too. So many more conversations are needed about AI as it develops further. The lack of regulation and respect is certainly a huge issue, especially for creative artists when their work is plagiarised and passed off in the form of AI generated imagery. Scientist friends seem very intrigued about current and future usage of AI. Time will tell how the yin-yangs of AI will pan out.
AI is yet more electricity, an allure of power, like travelling in an aluminium tube miles high, daring minus 50degC at 500mph eating a salad ('all flesh is grass') in a plastic box, maximum kerosene sort of fun? Big electronics eats electricity dug out of the ground and understands nothing? Seriously, there is a curriculum, who is training who, why is there an arms race (key in AI) and wicked wars round resources?
Oak leaves come with their meaning, intelligible? Winter, short days and a nativity... though I pen to you in my old age with electronics in likewise hope for healing.
Another fan of Lynda Barry here and you've prompted me to pick up and open my copy of 'What It Is' right now. I also have 'Syllabus' but obviously must now also get myself a copy of 'Picture This'. Glad to know you are feeling the benefits of rest, often one of hardest things to embrace.
I thought the same about AI until this summer... I was at a taiji retreat and met an awesome, fearless and inspiring young Iranian woman. She arrived in a whirl of wildly hand-painted luggage and clothing, then sat down and drew in a sketchbook, straight into ink, free, loose, confident, while enjoying Sam’s guitar improv. We introduced each other to new aspects of exploring nature, taiji, qigong, spirit, art, cultural misunderstandings and judgments and much more. Turned out she is also a science professor, pilot, specialist in epidemiology, and fascinated by creative aspects of AI…
Oh, I stopped in my tracks, really?
Then she showed me all kinds of AI experiments she’d done with paintings and suggestions and words and photographs and wild silliness. She had been having the same fun with AI as she had with painting her suitcase or surprising new friends, rolling an aircraft or taking risks with finding her way around repressive authority.
Here was someone really alive, creative and fearless, in ways that took me delightfully by surprise.
Her AI adventures were just another reflection of her being, very natural for her to play with and experiment. They had a real individuality. Playful, striking, hilarious, challenging and very different from my expectations. ‘Just go play’ she said, sending me a link.
I hear you, and I am sure there is much fun to be had by people with AI. However, I am more interested on how it affects society as a whole over time and who loses out. I know lots of artists and musicians whose work was used as learning fodder for the AIs and they are routinely ripped off, plagiarised and lose work because of them. Superb artists I know of are involved in class lawsuits against the companies in USA who syphoned their images into their AIs and now churn out things in their style, but had denied doing so. Documents revealed they did know what they were doing and fully infringed copyright and intellectual property laws. Interesting times.
Fun is nice. Creativity is a creaturely affair. Each to their own.
Interesting times indeed and I hear you too. So many more conversations are needed about AI as it develops further. The lack of regulation and respect is certainly a huge issue, especially for creative artists when their work is plagiarised and passed off in the form of AI generated imagery. Scientist friends seem very intrigued about current and future usage of AI. Time will tell how the yin-yangs of AI will pan out.
AI is yet more electricity, an allure of power, like travelling in an aluminium tube miles high, daring minus 50degC at 500mph eating a salad ('all flesh is grass') in a plastic box, maximum kerosene sort of fun? Big electronics eats electricity dug out of the ground and understands nothing? Seriously, there is a curriculum, who is training who, why is there an arms race (key in AI) and wicked wars round resources?
Oak leaves come with their meaning, intelligible? Winter, short days and a nativity... though I pen to you in my old age with electronics in likewise hope for healing.
Another fan of Lynda Barry here and you've prompted me to pick up and open my copy of 'What It Is' right now. I also have 'Syllabus' but obviously must now also get myself a copy of 'Picture This'. Glad to know you are feeling the benefits of rest, often one of hardest things to embrace.