Is it Art or Artificial Intelligence?

Notes From All Over

-Wyatt Easterling

I’m not a Luddite, I respect and applaud the advancement of science and all the discoveries, inventions, and shared knowledge that make our world a better place to live when used for good. I’m also not some “Chicken Little” running around declaring the sky is falling as the world is introduced to the user friendly AI known as ChatGPT. I am concerned when it comes to our new relationship with artificial intelligence (AI) and specifically ChatGPT as it's being introduced into the creative process. Can that be called art?

I’m impressed that ChatGPT can negotiate the best terms for both parties in a business transaction. Think of the ramifications of that. Maybe one day AI will negotiate peace terms rather than countries rushing into a destructive conflict. Who could argue with that? If it (AI) can negotiate between two businesses and both parties are content with the outcome just imagine an impartial negotiation that calms the fever of war before it begins. Good stuff, right? Well, not so fast. Where's the line?.

When it comes to the creation of art we're crossing a slippery line when we allow AI to create or to assist in the creation of a piece of music, a painting, a photograph, a poem, a novel, a sculpture, heck even graffiti for that matter and then reasoning that it's still art. Art of any kind is communication, a form of expression from one human being to another pulled from the artist's human experience. Allowing AI into the creation of our art will be as destructive as Culture Canceling is to free speech. What a boring world we are setting ourselves up for when freedom of expression is curbed, canceled or counterfeited whether by our own hand or assisted by AI.

In my opinion to use AI in the creative process in any form is akin to an athlete doping to give themselves an unfair advantage over their opponent. Where's our pride, where's our integrity? We all lose when it’s win at any cost.