It seems like everywhere you turn companies are trying to push the use of AI as the backbone in various creative projects. This company’s using AI for their latest commercial, another company’s using AI to write their children’s books, yet another one’s starting to use them in video games! That’s not even getting into all the AI scams found all over the internet that trick people into buying something of low quality that looks nothing like picture.
As a creative person who hopes to write and publish a book one day, it’s just incredibly disheartening to feel like the entire world is shifting towards using AI as a means of entertainment. After all, why bother putting in the effort to write or draw or make something when you can just have a computer do it for you? Win-win, right?
Except, while it can sometimes be easy to forget about, what with so many people being encouraged to turn their talents or hobbies or creative aspects into various money-making ventures, there’s nothing wrong with just being creative for creative’s sake. Because while it can be argued whether or not it’s worth using AI for the sake of growing profits, there’s no point any executive or tech-bro could make that could convince me putting a prompt into an AI generator is more fun than making the art myself.
To me, there’s nothing more fun than finally figuring out how to write a certain plot-point I’ve been struggling with, or coming up with fascinating story and character ideas that I can dive into, or even just writing something super cutesy and fluffy with my favorite characters because that’s what I’m in the mood for – and the same can apply to other forms of art too!
I can’t call myself a great artist per say, but I can still enjoy trying to draw something out when I get the idea. Breaking out the old coloring book can be just as enjoyable, as is trying out a new craft project whenever one seems interesting. I also often get inspired by other people’s art, whether it be the beaded bracelets my best friend makes in her spare time, the amazing plushies my friend Michael makes, or the documentary-level video essays that I watch on YouTube. There are still plenty of creative people out there, regardless of how much others in search of only dollars may try to push them away.
So, while it would be easy to just say encourage you all to simply not buy or support creative products made with AI, I feel like it’s just as important to encourage my readers to make their own art and to just be creative for creative’s sake. Whether that’s drawing, writing, crafting, video editing – whatever you want it to be! Just make something and have fun with it. There may be a lot that AI can do, and I’m sure it’ll become even more advanced in the coming years, but I’m not about to let any sort of AI take away my creative joy.
Contact report Andrea Grubaugh at adnews@netwtc.net