I took a Master of Science in computing subjects in 1991. We studied and coded AI, so it is a far from new concept. You mention Autocad where as a form of AI it removed the tedious need to build elements of technical drawings from scratch time and time again. But it meant less tedious, repetitive work and therefore needed fewer workers. You can go right back to the invention of the wheel to realise that there have always been technical precedents for this.
In my latest novel,
Scenes From A Dying Planet, I use AI to go one step further at the end of the novel have it hack into systems across the world to save it from from greed, nuclear threats and those who feel entitled to rule us all. But this wouldn't need to be done by AI if the human would only learn to live together in peace. So the AI is merely plagiarising a human idea expressed in countless novels. songs and declarations. (By all means feel free to write a review of my novel on Amazon).
All of your life you have listened to, looked at and read works by people who have, in large part, plagiarised others' work. Often they have done so blatantly and with total disregard for the original creator. So is it okay for humans to do it for centuries but now suddenly its not okay for computers to do it?
Interesting points you make, but I don't think you're actually comparing apples with apples here on the main issue.
I do agree with some of your post, inasmuch as we have all been exposed to plagiarism of sorts in the arts since the first cave dwellers drew on walls etc.
I suppose one person's plagiarism is another's "influenced by", to a greater or lesser extent.
And undoubtedly, technological advances have been a twin edged sword. Processes improved and simplified meaning there have been winners, but also losers - in workforces and trades being wiped out. That's the way things have developed. Driven essentially by commercial expediency.
However, in my view, and let's let's look at music as it's the 'art' involved in the video. The game has changed massively with the latest AI technology.
It is often argued that without The Beatles there would have been no Oasis and so on. And this is true. Oasis and many others drew from that particular well. But with one key difference between them - (Oasis) and The Velvet Sunset (the 'band' fabricated by AI).
The bros Gallagher had to learn their skill. Their songs were not produced almost instantaneously at the click of a button after a cursory prompt or two to AI. The Gallaghers, through many years of time investment, dedication and hard work, as indeed have all creative artists down the ages, acquired the relevant skills to produce their art. Musicianship and songcraft in this case.
The internet is awash with AI created 'novels'. As you yourself are a writer you know the amount of sweat, brainpower and sheer time goes into that endeavour. But now, as I type I could have a 90,000 word manuscript within an hour or two. Would you be happy for all the effort you've employed to be passed over in favour of something AI had spat out in a few minutes? I certainly wouldn't be.
With AI tools now advanced to the point were no actual artistic talent is required, other than a basic command of the local language, credibible 'art' (be it music, painting or books) is now something we can all 'create'. Most 'consumers' won't care or understand that the output is simply an amalgamation of the stolen creativity and IP of those who have unwittingly trained the particular large language model used.
So suddenly we can all 'make music'. And if we are that way inclined or want to be disingenuous or simply lie, we can claim we wrote / created, painted, or designed the product. Furthermore, we can then monitise this 'creativity' for ourselves. This is to the cost of those people who would actually go through the process properly, put in the hours and hard work to actually create the real art only to have it stolen.
I could go on but suffice to say:
I will never look forward to a world where those who actually create art are no longer needed, and where new creativity is served up to me by nothing other than the ultimate plagiaristic soulless machine.
What a truly horrific prospect to contemplate.
www.theguardian.com
