BASED

As a musician, and as a friend of many graphic artists, writers, programmers, designers, and other kinds of artists, I hate how many people just think in their own benefit. Like, they don't seem to understand that's one of the main problems, because while I use AI to create cover artz and at the same time complain about not having enough demand and about my music being stolen, which takes away my opportunities to work, a graphic artist/cartoonist could be using AI to make music for their showcases/shelves and complaining about not having enough demand and about others (me, in this case) stealing their art. What I mean is, we're both harming each other and reducing our net benefit margin, thus leading to a Pareto suboptimal.

EFF leading by example in their post yesterday Who (or What) Generates Images for EFF?

I'm just going to take a moment to appreciate that they considered software development an art. It's a rare moment.

I think a big part of the problem is that most people just can't afford each other.

Sure, you can do "paid in kind" (which has it's own complexities) but mainly there's so many overheads in life, as well as middlemen extorting out their cut that hiring a creative is cripplingly expensive.

It's something only affordable to either those with a lot of disposable income, or those who are planning to make a hefty profit from it (and won't be worrying about money in the meantime either).

Even in times when I was making the same income as a plumber, the idea of hiring one was deeply financially intimidating. Even an independent one. The way it's stacked, you can only afford to hire people in a lower class/caste/tax-bracket than yourself.

I do music and other art. I did use early AI to make a few music videos because I liked the jankyness of it all. How it was strange and surreal - like a dream. If anything, it was more of an experiment in a medium that wasn't ready.

I don't use any AI today except to mock it. I reject it as much as possible.

Could it be a symptom of everybody being broke af and not wanting to ask someone to work for exposure? Because a lot of artists are lucky enough to make enough money to cover their expenses for doing the art, let alone anything else.

I would love to see more collaborations and rejection of AI for everything but the tasks that are actually a decent use case (preliminary searches and compiling massive pools of data) and I think one of the best way to start is to just pay people a living wage.

The reality is that almost no self sustaining artists can afford each other's work. Instead artists are forced to charge prices other artists would consider their entire grocery bill. Instead they have to hope they can either get patronage from the wealthy or some sort of corporation.

it’s interesting how many creatives and professionals see ai as being perfectly able to replace anyone’s work who isn’t theirs, but unable to replace them. i remember seeing a post about storyboarders thinking ai was unfit for storyboards, but good for concept art, and concept artists thinking ai was unfit for concept art, but fine for storyboards.

everyone sees the value in their work, but many can’t see the value of other people’s work, and think an ai-generated approximation that’s "good enough" is fine to replace it… it’s kinda sad, really

the exception is software developers, who are more than eager to replace their own work with ai-generated garbage. i don’t know why so many software devs have so little respect for themselves and their work, but i can’t say i’m surprised honestly.

Seen this myself.

I just semi-retired after 10 years of writing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction. It was a nice little side hustle that brought in 1-2k a year and I enjoyed learning how to write stories.

In the past I would write a story and then either commission an artist for some cover art, or find some that suited the story on one of the many MLP art databases and ask permission to use it. In 10 years of writing over a million words I was never once refused my request to use someone's art, and I always made sure the artist was credited.

But, in the past year or so the primary website for MLP fanfictions (fimfiction.net) started allowing AI art for covers which like the OP, I feel to be a betrayal of our fellow creatives. We definitely need to stand together against the tide of AI slop, no matter its genre.

Realistically a lot of the people who are using AI for these were previously just ripping them off the internet and hoping nobody would notice...

"I'm an artiste, machines shouldn't do what I do, those other folks have it easy." repeat for every group thinking of every other group.

The human brain always picks convenience.

We simply cannot help ourselves.

I’ve grown immensely cynical about that this past decade. Like, literally every chance we get to take a less destructive path, I observe people skip it because it’s slightly less convenient… that’s why they use AI.

They could give another artist $20 for something important, but our monkey brain is tired and picks the 5 second solution instead. I bet they don’t even look outside ChatGPT.

…So yeah, I think we’re in trouble. As this is not going to stop.

If I see an AI image for a song on spotify, there's a 90% the music is too.

Artist spoiler : art is work and work needs pay. We don't have any money. Wanna see your favorite artists make human collabs? Pay them, back them or stfu.

solidarity brother! im a visual artist, and i deleted spotify in solidarity with musicians. i download from bandcamp now.

See also: People who HATE AI, but still use it to make/upscale their "memes." Was somewhat common in reddit the "this is the only good use of AI" crowd.

IIRC that "You wouldn't download a car!" piracy screen used it's music and font without a license.

It's selfishness, not any sort of consistent belief system. AI that undermines me is the worst thing ever, but I'll use AI that shits on other people without a second thought.

Stop it. Get some help.

Edit: image for clarity

Edit 2 for more clarity: Stop using generative AI and get help from artists and creatives.

I have an old buddy who’s a pretty accomplished tattoo artist, and as goes is also a pretty good artist in many other ways- pen/ink, paint, etc. We have a few of his hand drawn or painted pieces hanging on our walls.

I saw sometime last year that he was proudly telling everyone about his AI art shop on Etsy…selling art he was just having AI generated and printed via whatever those shops that just print whatever you want on whatever you want and drop shipped to you. …so sad…

Dude have you ever tried to collaborate with anyone?

Also, A, no one has money.

And B: it turns out learning an art form to a high enough degree to use it to sell something involves (generally) doing it from a young age and each different skill requires other related skills. Nobody has the time to make music, and learn art, and then graphic art, and marketing, and writing, and accounting.

Unfortunately I'm pessimistic it will ever happen. AI rewards you with what you want (or a mimic of it anyway) for not talking to people. Which feeds the largest insecurity all artists have, expressing themselves and connecting with others outside their art.