The Robots Are Taking Over - Page 112

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Matching · Ready for C2 Proficiency Student's Book, Macmillan

You are going to read an article in which five artists give their views on AI and art. For questions 1–10, choose from the people (A–E). The people may be chosen more than once.

Jack

AI art doesn't concern me in the slightest; however you can understand why it causes so many artists so much discomfort. I suspect it's related to the unpredictability of where it will all end up. For my part, having been involved in a collaborative project with a gaming company recently, I can see how they go hand in hand. Over 50 artists were employed on the project, and I found it fascinating to observe firsthand the interplay of both these creative forms and how this produced an altogether better product. Artists and AI actually complement each other since one cannot generate output without the other's input. Now that I've had this experience, I'm even more convinced that there's no threat. With all that I can bring to the table, I won't be sidelined in the foreseeable future. I just wish I could get others to believe this too.

Valentina

As a graphic designer I know more than most about losing out to AI as our whole industry was turned upside down by new technology in the 80s with many people being made redundant. And this has been replicated more recently in the impact of digital on the music industry as well as print media. People are often reluctant to change, and this is no different, it's just part of the evolution of art. A recent example is graffiti artists who are always being denounced for ruining art when, in actual fact they're a long overdue breath of fresh air in a dusty old artworld. AI is on a collision course with artists for better or worse and that won't be derailed by anything human artists say or do, and nor should it be as far as I'm concerned. So the sooner artists from all walks of like stop deluding themselves that things are going to go just how they'd like them to go the better, because there's little likelihood of that.

Phoebe

You have to hand it to the programmers writing the algorithms and training the AI – the creations are simply incredible by any standard. Would judges in any art competition be able to single out AI generated paintings without exception? To be honest, I wonder whether anyone can reliably answer that as plenty of experts have been fooled by AI generated pieces. For me, it's tantamount to theft, though, when AI reproduces paintings or uses photos without permission. Intellectual property is fundamental to artists to ensure they don't get ripped off and can earn a decent living. Something should be done about this while the genre is still in its infancy, otherwise I imagine we can expect further issues down the line.

Richard

Many artists seem to fear AI, whereas I'm all for it! In my humble opinion, this is all about artists not wanting to move with the times. I think they are blinkered, in that they don't see the benefits of the technology. Gone are the days when artists could hole themselves up in a remote studio alone, painting in their same old style, and still expect to remain relevant. That kind of lifestyle is out of the question these days and artists can't risk being out of touch with what clients and society want from them, as we're expected to be diverse in what we produce. After all, artists are selling something and those who embrace technology rather than bemoaning the loss of our traditional careers will come across opportunities. They might be surprised by what it's like working with AI, however counterintuitive it may seem.

Kiki

Nowadays technology steamrolls over everything while genuinely skilled practitioners are left bringing up the rear. If it were up to me, I'd have these AI people spend time with some of our professionals so as to emphasise the hard graft and unique skill that is part and parcel of creativity. You've got to know your Da Vinci from your Kandinsky in terms of objectives, theories and movements as well as have a grasp of differing artistic techniques. It's about representations of the world from different perspectives, not how lifelike the computer image is because it's made from a million pixels.

the dividends that maintaining a positive mindset pays when things look bleak

the feeling of unease that AI induces throughout the wider artistic community

the naïvety of artists in their expectations for change

the lack of resemblance of artists' contemporary working lives to past practices

the consequences of collaboration between humans and computers

the progress being made in the art world despite resistance to innovation

the need for AI to be prevented from overriding the rights of artists

the qualities brought to art by humans that cannot be replicated by computers

the implausibility of one particular situation

the virtual undetectability of artworks generated by AI

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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