AI

When I was growing up, the concept of AI was very different. Films like Terminator, The Matrix, Blade Runner, 2001 and more taught us that AI would seek to eliminate or replace humankind. Our new machine masters would use us for power or treat us like cockroaches or vermin, a nuisance to be eliminated before we could try to stop the horror we had ourselves created.

Now, that might very well still be ahead of us. I see people building robots that are going to be involved in warfare, some that look like us and online chatbots that feign a very base level of intelligence that are programmed to get smarter. At those times, I hear the music notes from ‘All Along The Watchtower’ which the 2004 reimagining of Battlestar Gallactica used as a audio cue to signal the dangers of intellectual robot advance.

In the latest Matrix movie where a new version of the program machine’s use to enslave humanity has been created. In it, Neo (who doesn’t know who he is/was) is in an elevator full of people on their phones. A visual cue from the movie that the machine’s hold on their living batteries is more solid than ever. It’s a chilling sight and an interesting commentary on his machines already rule our lives. Still, it’s not exactly AI machines hunting/killing/using us. At least not yet.

Nowadays, AI has become something very different. Automative responses used in customer service, chatGPT and art generators. In the creative field (like comics) AI generation has become a very hot topic because there are those out there that are creating comics using AI generated art. For those that don’t know, AI programs that ‘create’ art teaches itself on art it finds online. Given how generous artists are when they post work online, this gives programs that generate these images plenty of resources to learn from.

Essentially, the aI is stealing from artists and those that use programs to generate art are, by proxy also. There’s been controversy at DC comics for example where artist Andrea Sorrentino has used AI in a recent Batman story. Also covers by artist Jingxiong Guo were pulled and replaced. For the record, both artists denied these accusations.

There was also a Spawn cover contest won by Luis Ruiz who apparently used AI to generate the images which got them the win. There’s probably other examples in the bigger publishers and plenty of ‘creators’ who use it in small press. It’s an unsettling trend that I don’t agree with and don’t encourage.

Comics are about creativity. Creative people working together or working alone to give us a story. They can be creating a story for a character everyone knows or a new narrative of their own or a biography or something experimental or whatever. They’re creating. Using AI to generate a comic isn’t creating. It’s like wanting a 5 star meal, taking the ingredients and recipe and taking it to a fast food place. They may be able to replicate it but it won’t be the same. More than likely the fast food establishment would look at you as if you were crazy. At the moment, AI art generating sites can’t call us crazy…yet.

To me, AI is the death of innovation and creativity. It is taking work away from creatives, stealing from those that have skill and giving us something that feels…off. I was very excited to watch ‘Late Night With The Devil’ but found it used AI to generate some images for the movie. There’s 50 very talented artists I could name off the top of my head who could have used that work, likely done a fantastic job and I doubt would have cost the sun, moon and the earth.

I was invited to join a writing group who would be using AI art for prompts for stories and I was like ‘No, pay an artist to draw an image’. there are those out there that may argue that AI gives people who don’t have the skill or resources access to art. I don’t have the skills or resources for an artist either but I’d rather never work in comics as a career than have my work represented by AI that learned from artists that I either weren’t able to get to work for me or couldn’t afford. I’ll take failing at my dream any day vs being involved in the death of creativity as we know it.

Does my opinion or support or thereof of AI matter? Not really. Do I think that if the accusations of big name artists on big projects for big companies using it are true could lead to an unsettling precedent? Absolutely. I read comics to see creatives give me their creativity. If I wanted to have a computer equivalent or understanding of creativity, I might as well be plugged into the Matrix where everything tastes like chicken cause machine’s don’t know what chicken tastes like.

Perhaps that is the terrifying thing also. Film taught us the machines would come with weapons and hostility. Perhaps it is much simpler than that because without art, what is humanity? If machines or AI or whatever take away our art with an empty substitute then perhaps they won’t need to take us out.

We’ll have already lost.

More soon.