In light of current events regarding the advent of Artificial Intelligence and its proclaimed threat to illustrators, I will attempt to put forward convincing and solid arguments to try and stop the onslaught of insults and uncivilized behaviour present in these discussions.
The aim of this post (and this blog in general) is to foster intellectual and civil discussion.
Thus I will touch on several “hot topics” that have been developing recently. First, how is AI threatening people who illustrate for a living?
Drawing usually takes a long time to learn or master, the same goes for many other crafts. The automatization, streamlining and ease the AI introduces to this process does lower the barrier enough so many people without those skills can compete with illustrators.
This is the core problem behind AI illustrations. It has lowered the barrier low enough so that years of study are not required anymore in order to generate very good looking images.
This is a real problem for some. Those who have mastered their craft for years may have some of their work taken by machines.
Has anything like this happened before? Yes, many times. Automatization has taken many jobs in the past, and now the time has come for creative jobs.
Is this the first time it has happened with creative jobs? I think it depends on how you define these. So far as I can tell, it has. Pottery has been largely automated, sculpture too, printing has taken many an artist job, now anyone can have any image they desire cheaply printed.
All these technological advancements have something in common. They have failed to destroy the creative side of these jobs. They have shrunk the market indeed, but artesans and sculptors still exist, mainly due to two things.
They do a better job than the machines, and they learned to adapt, using in many occasions the same machines that threatened their jobs. Illustrators have begun doing this exact thing as they transitioned from physical to digital art.
The software modern illustrators use facilitates and streamlines the process of drawing. They no longer need brushes, or knowledge about how to mix colors, and, most importantly, they can make mistakes and erase them. Software now has lowered the bar too.
AI has done the same, but to an all time low standard. And yet, AI does not do a perfect job, much like an automatically manufactured clay pot, the machine does a poorer job, faster yes, but not better. Illustrators, like painters, potters and many more will have to adapt.
This new software can be used as a tool, very much like printers can. A powerful tool to help illustrators increase their output. It might help as inspiration, it may be used to fabricate sketches and then paint over them, or to iron out the kinks of the AI produced image.
I am a writer, or at least I consider myself one at the moment. But more than threatened by the advent of AI that can write, I see an opportunity to use the machine to my advantage. I would feed ideas to it, let her do the tedious work, and then correct or change what I want.
I could increase my output many times, perhaps even leave behind writer’s block. I could dabble in the pleasure of magnifying the power of my mind with the tool that this age of science has given me. It all depends on what approach you take on the matter.
There are many technicalities that I am unable to address, and many points I would want to make, but the thread has gotten very long. Should there be any inquiries into this, I will try my best to respond to them.
So far, I think new exciting times are coming.
What do you think?