Have you ever watched an artist's hand bring a scene from your favorite book to life? There's magic in that process. From the earliest sketches to the beautiful pieces, a magic born of imagination, skill, and the uniquely human touch. In the age of generative AI, spaces that cherish and champion this kind of art are vital. These art bastions are places where human-created art is highly valued and artists are celebrated. You're in one such place right now - Storylace, where human creativity reigns supreme.
We recognize how incredibly difficult the artists' craft can be. It's a skill that takes a lifetime of hard work and passion to perfect. The soul behind their works will never be replaced by a machine. That "soul" means having a complex human being with a unique life story, forged through learning, practice, and challenges, and a unique creative touch pouring their heart into a piece. That soul is worth celebrating and protecting.
So why are these amazing communities endangered as of today? Generative AI, while fascinating and helpful, can also have negative consequences. When online spaces get flooded with AI-generated images, it naturally becomes harder to discover the work of dedicated human artists. It muddies the waters and makes it harder to find the light of actual human creativity, the very source that gave birth to that technology. It also undervalues their skills. They spent years honing their craft and are suddenly competing with easily generated images. Talented artists can get lost in the noise. While there's nothing inherently wrong with experimenting with generative AI, platforms focused on celebrating human artistry need a way to ensure those artists remain visible and valued. This ease in image generation, however, raises a troubling question: In this evolving landscape, how do we uphold the value of human artistry?
The age of generative AI is upon us, the genie is out of the bottle and it's not going back in. Times have changed. This technology sparks intense debate about its ethics, the core question at the heart of this debate is: "Was it right to train these algorithms with the professional work of countless artists?" There's endless potential discussion to be had on this subject, and it's not the goal of this blog post to answer that question, but here are some philosophical questions to mull over:
- Should everything on the internet be free to use for any purpose?
- Is it right to grab a person's or company's professional data without consent and train for-profit algorithms with it that inadvertently undermine their livelihood?
- Should we be celebrating the human-replacing potential of these tools without moral considerations about their repercussions on people's lives?
How we answer these questions will shape the future of art as we know it. AI has so many wonderful use cases, it has unlimited potential for good and it can fix so many problems in the world… Is this fixing?
At Storylace we believe in fair treatment and justice, so we strongly believe this technology could have been created and delivered in much more ethical ways, respecting artists and their craft. But what's done is done and regardless of the outcomes, one truth remains: Those who care about human artistry will still need communities that protect it and celebrate it: sanctuaries of creativity. There's something truly special about connecting with human artists who have sacrificed so much for their craft and their love of art. Appreciating their unique visions and discovering the stories behind their beautiful pieces is a never-ending joy. Art bastions, despite how rare they may become, will continue to be strongholds where artists are loved.
Booklovers should care about and cherish these art bastions, because they're places that protect and value the people who inspired many of their favorite stories. Human artistry is not going anywhere. In this age of generative AI there's certainly going to be an influx of digital content created through machines, and finding hand-crafted art and their creators is going to become increasingly challenging. Reputation, background research, critical thinking and community are only some of the ways in which human artists will prosper. Artists should know they're valued. They bring joy to our world.
Please engage in art bastions like local galleries, online communities that celebrate human-created art and platforms that prioritize artist recognition. Become part of communities that value genuine creativity. Become part of the conversation around the impact of generative AI, to ensure a thriving creative future. We'll see how things play out. In the meanwhile, support human artists!
