Lightbox Expo 2023 was a whirlwind of creativity and connection, but amidst the excitement, there was an undercurrent of worry. As AI image generators grow more sophisticated, many artists are grappling with the threat to their livelihoods and the future of the industry – a concern intensely debated in the panels I attended. At Storylace, the hand-crafted beauty of human art is vital to what we do so we've felt the impact firsthand. It's no secret that this technology was trained in an ethically questionable fashion, but in this blog post we'll dive into the finer details behind these conversations as of today.
I attended 2 talks: 'Creative Coalition' and 'AI and the Working TV and Film Industry'. While Lightbox doesn't have a strong focus on the book industry, there's still a lot of wisdom applicable to what we're creating here as a new books platform that celebrates art. One of the beautiful aspects of this event is how creatives from completely different fields come together to discuss challenges that are common to the art industry as a whole, like the impact of AI on it.
Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition panel, featuring creatives across disciplines, rallied against AI-driven labor theft and IP exploitation, proposing strategies for a united front. As presenters we had:
- Deana Igelsurd: Co-Chair of the Legislative Action Committee for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, assisting the Concept Art Association in their advocacy to protect human artists & creators from predatory extraction of their IP.
- Kevin Yee: actor, writer, comedian, and filmmaker who has written on TV shows for Disney and Netflix.
- Tiffy Wang: color designer with over 3 years of experience in the Animation Industry.
- Sam Tung: storyboard artist for film, animation and video games.
Deana opened with some impressive statistics that paint a good picture of the current public perception around generative AI, citing numbers such as 60% of the people recognizing AI as a threat and 28% thinking it will affect them directly. With 300 million jobs forecasted to be replaced by AI in the coming years, it's no wonder there are coalitions springing up all around the world to stop the devastating impact on the livelihoods of many. This raises unique concerns about IP theft, going beyond traditional automation.
Deana proceeded to invite us all to sign the petition for artists to be included in the goverment's legislation talks about generative AI. The artists' works were used without consent to train this technology, so they deserve to be included in the conversation of how to regulate it.
"We're all being shut out because of corporate greed," Kevin added. The panel proceeded to explore the many different ways in which this technology is threatening the livelihoods of creatives. Kevin explained, for example, how Writer's Rooms—collaborative spaces where scripts are developed — traditionally had 6 to 14 people. However, now they're trying to have only 2 writers to cut costs.
"Jobs aren't being lost yet," Tiffy admitted, referring to artists in her circle. "But the technology isn't sophisticated enough yet." Even those not yet directly affected, like Tiffy, are rallying behind the cause. "Ultimately, it's about labor theft," she emphasized. "It's gonna steal jobs, and living in a capitalist society, we need money." Artists are staying strong together against the pressures of corporations trying to replace human labor because it's expensive. Art deserves to be paid. This fight, however, goes beyond individual artists' livelihoods. As Sam pointed out, "AI can be used to justify austerity politics, leading to a contraction in the field of creatives."
One of the most eye-opening slides exposed how AI companies deliberately humanize their technology to boost sales. The panel urged us to push back against this propaganda: Don't say "AI Artist," say "AI User." Instead of "AI art," say "AI-generated image." And never forget, "AI doesn't learn, it's supplied with data.". We were then reminded that: "AI would not be able to output anything if it wasn't filled with stolen data". Creatives have power in how this technology is perceived and used.
The mood during this talk wasn't one of resignation, it was one of hope and unity in times of adversity. Creatives are forming coalitions to push for legislation and the fight is far from over. Companies that support AI are already seeing setbacks by not being able to copyright AI generated images, for example. If Mickey Mouse had been generated with AI, Disney would be reacting strongly. Artists were encouraged to always protect their work with Glaze and Nightshade. But most importantly, the talk concluded by stressing the importance of educating the public in these matters and using social media to call out what's wrong. Companies that don't want bad press from being associated with the unethical use of AI should best avoid it.
Additional resources recommended by the panelists include Create Don't Scrape and AI/ML Media Advocacy.
AI and the Working TV and Film Industry
While the 'Creative Coalition' focused on resistance, the 'AI and TV/Film' panel took a more pragmatic approach. The united front of panelists from the Art Directors Guild (ADG), who stand against AI, presented under a mood of: AI is here to stay, so what can we do about it? It's wrong and it's unethical, but let's plan ahead. The panelists included:
- Nelson Coates: President of the ADG, production designer for feature film and television, known for his notable work on Crazy Rich Asians.
- Chuck Parker: ADG's National Executive Director.
- Tim Wilcox: Artist with 35-year career in Film, TV industry and more. Serves as Chair of the Illustrators and Matte Artist's Craft (IMA) in the ADG.
- Stephen Platt: Story artist, director and IP developer with experience in film, streaming animation and comics from brands like Marvel and DC.
- Fae Corrigan: ADG Illustrator and Assistant Art Director.
At the beginning of the talk, Chuck Parker set a pragmatic yet defiant tone, stating 'I'm not going to turn into a cop, AI is here and it's being used.' He then emphasized the importance of protecting jurisdiction – ensuring artists retain control over their work – so that no one is out of a job. The panelists, members of the ADG's AI Task Force, firmly stood their ground on their commitment to protecting creatives in this industry despite the intrusion of AI in the market.
Words of encouragement kept flowing about how despite AI existing, creatives remain in the driver's seat. "You are your product!" Nelson Coates stated, followed by claps from the public. The theme remained constant: Artists are problem solvers. There are needs that we need to figure out how to solve through art, and we use tools for that. They highlighted the fact that Stable Diffusion, Midjourney and other AI-image generators are not present at Lightbox Expo and that's because they're not products to help artists, they're human replacement tools.
With regard to using AI-generated images for inspiration, they mentioned that the collaging technique of AI image generators is far from the best for that. There's a lot of stuff out in the real world, physical stuff, that helps much more for inspiration. There are things simply not found online, and Nelson Coates provided an illustrious example of visiting a library and browsing through the art section to stumble upon unique sources of inspiration. Libraries are your friends! Fae Corrigan echoed this sentiment, saying that these machines are "rehashing the same stuff and outputting the mean, nothing new. If there's no human behind it has no heart", which contributes to the staleness found in AI-generated images.
Despite the uplifting messages, a stark reminder persisted: generative AI is here and it's being used. "I won't be left standing on the platform when the train leaves," Chuck Parker declared, emphasizing the need for artists to stay informed and understand how this technology works. The panel also highlighted the blatant disregard some AI companies have for artists, citing Stable Diffusion founder Emad Mostaque's callous statement that "artists are a tool."
During the Q&A, a software engineer challenged the panel, asking why there's acceptance of AI-powered tools like autocomplete but not AI image generators. The panelists unanimously countered that there's a fundamental difference: one is a helpful tool, the other aims to replace artists. Another audience member raised concerns about artists' safety, asking what assurances the AI Task Force could provide. While admitting there are no guarantees, the panelists emphasized the power of unions to fight against unjust contract clauses that exploit artists. The ADG vowed to continue protecting jurisdictions as part of this ongoing struggle.
The Next Move
A common theme across both talks was that artists need to support each other, stay strong and find supportive communities. While generative AI technology advances at an alarming pace, tools like Glaze and Nightshade are making strides in protecting artists by limiting the ability of AI Image Generators to be trained on their work. Communities that value artists will always exist. Storylace is one such community, one that understands the ethical concerns and offers a safe space where creative rights are respected and championed.
I myself studied a Masters' Degree in Machine Learning and worked in ML projects at companies like Oracle and Google for many years. This technology is undeniably impressive, an engineering marvel and a testament to the engineers, researchers, and mathematicians behind it. Yet, it's heartbreaking to witness the exploitative choices made by the leaders of these AI companies. Their decision to profit by training models on stolen artwork, a blatant disregard for intellectual property, is inexcusable. The AI companies saw an opportunity for profit, disregarding the devastating impact on artists. It's now up to us, as creatives, to educate the public about these ethical issues and advocate for a future where artists' rights and the incredible power of AI technology can co-exist.