The danger beyond artificial intelligence: thinking about Marx, woodcuts, and making choices.

AI is not the issue, it's a symptom.

AI is the new big deal, with opinions flying left and right, and computer-y science-y talk about algorithms and language models and Turing tests and the singularity and will AI take my job? etc.

The AI discussion is huge, so I’m going to narrow it down to talking about AI and artists. And we’re going to look at the underlying thoughts behind the use or defense of AI.

just a note: I’ve had people ask me why I don’t email out posts each week… well, starting with my paid posts and working my way to my free posts, I’m going to start emailing more posts each month. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Artificial Intelligence image generation: It’s not art.

Let’s define our terms— AI generated images are not “art.”

AI isn’t creating, it’s generating/remixing what’s already there. Where an artist starts from an idea and a blank canvas, an image generator is scraping the internet to form a visual that matches a prompt.

Art is a creation made with skill and passion. Worthy art is art that encompasses truth¹, moral goodness², and beauty.³

AI doesn’t have an understanding of what is true, good, and beautiful. There isn’t passion when it generates images, and whether prompting an AI takes skill is dubious. It also takes unfairly from other people’s work and talent without recompensing them, which is a strike against moral goodness.

Cutting out the human factor.

Using AI to make images bothers me because people claim more credit for it than they should. While yes, it takes a certain amount of skill to prompt an AI image generator to produce a desirable result, there’s still a disconnect from the act of creating. When drawing, there is significance and personality in every mark I choose to make. Mark-making is a HUGE part of art.

The biggest issue with AI is how it removes the human choice from the equation. Sure, it’s “efficient” but the end product loses the care and the intentionality. AI art doesn’t understand how to add subtext or symbolism. When a human hand crafts a work of art, they make many little decisions of color and form. Art reflects the artist’s worldview. AI generated images can’t do that. It’s random chance, a roll of the dice. The only choice the human has once a prompt has been run is to keep it, discard it, or try to tweak parts of it.

“Easy doesn’t always equal good.”

Proponents of AI will say it’s easy and convenient. This may be true. But this is not strong defense for the benefits of AI because easy doesn’t always equal good. The most fulfilling things in life (religion, art, relationships, etc.) take time and effort. Or perhaps it’s because these things take time and effort that we find them fulfilling.

An example of this is the AI-generated CD jacket of a recent album. The artist has over 20 years of music and imagery it could have referred back to. (Additionally I offered them pro-gratis graphic design services) Instead they used a generated ai image that looks cool on first glance, but on closer inspection revealed it was just an odd, abstract shape. I view this as a missed opportunity— I love album art, especially when motifs from the cover image are creatively used through the rest of the CD packaging. Had the musician used a piece of human-created art that spoke to his fans, the CD packaging would be cool to look at over and over again.

A counter-example is a work of say, Albrecht Durer. Durer was a woodblock artist that carved very detailed images that conveyed a story. One of his pieces is St. Jerome in His Study. In this print, the elements of the lion, the gourd, the skull, and the crucifix each convey to the viewer themes and messages. Durer decided on each element in the artwork. He put thought into cutting each line the way he wanted it, to convey shading and form in a 2 dimensional print.

AI image generators cut humans out of the process of creating. In my opinion, the process of creating is the most important part of art. It is in creating that the artist learns and grows.

Pros of AI: AI can make work easier

However, many forms of AI aid the creator in the creative process rather than replacing them. For example, I occasionally run blog posts through chatGPT for feedback, and the feedback I get is consistent with feedback I’ve gotten from humans and generally helpful.

I’ve also gone to AI generated images for drawing inspiration and used other AI tools in my work, so I don’t believe AI is all bad, or that someone should never use AI.

Cons of AI: AI makes things too easy

I think one of the big issues is that AI put content-creating power in the hands of more people, just like computers and word processors led to more people writing and ProCreate and Canva led to more people drawing and designing. New tools that aid in a creative process attract people who think making art is easy, or are just in it for the money. (Here’s a video about the rise of AI generated crochet patterns for sale that don’t produce desired results)

Is content getting worse? While I think the amount of poor quality content is becoming greater, I have no reason to believe that any of these tools are stopping great art from being made.

Yes, the good quality content might be harder to find in all the sludge, but it’s also more accessible. It’s easy to get for free on your computer screen in the comfort of your home, instead of, say, being chained up in a monastery somewhere.

What’s really behind the rise of AI?

The rise in AI use is part of a philosophical movement called transhumanism. The transhumanist way of thought believes that humans can make their lives longer, easier, and healthier…in their own strength. While some technological progress is helpful —i.e. fewer women die in childbirth due to advances in our medical knowledge — some progress ends up having harmful side effects.

For example, we can make clothing faster and more efficiently, due to machinery and the industrial revolution. But there are side effects. The measurable ones include pollution and waste. The immeasurable ones are the paradigm shifts. Instead of a woman taking pride in making quality clothing for her family at home, women and children began working long, dangerous hours in factories — all in the name of progress.

I’m not a Marxist by any means, but Marx did believe that labor = value. He doesn’t account for skilled labor being higher in value than unskilled labor, but he does underline a natural human tendency to appreciate things that took work and effort to create. People appreciate nice handmade cards more than store bought ones because of the thought, time, and effort put in. (Speaking of time, thought, and effort, here’s a video of Roche pastels being made by hand using 300 year old recipes.)

Embracing our humanity through art and effort.

It’s the same for art. Art is inspiring because of the thought, time, and effort put into it. It holds meaning for us as humans. What proponents of transhumanism don’t realize is the meaning of life is wrapped up in being human. We were created in the image of God, and though we are marred by sin, we are given a new heart⁴ and called to do good works.⁵

Being creative, feeling emotions (including sadness,) and working (both skilled and unskilled) are all things that are good for us as humans, which the transhumanist ideology disregards.

Beth Spencer

created a “Made With Human Intelligence” badge that sparked a internet discussion of the value of humans creating and which tools “count” as human. (This accelerated the writing of this post, but it’s actually been on the docket since January.)

Conclusion

AI is a tool for artists, and like any other tool, can be used for good or misused with disastrous results. However, an AI is not capable of art, per the technical definition of art. When it generates content, it lacks the human element and ability to add meaning or symbolism, instead remixing what already exists.

The biggest danger associated with AI is actually transhumanism— avoiding the things that give meaning to our human existence. The idea that “easier is better” means that, by depending on technology, we miss out on building foundational skills.

1. What is truth? Truth is that which conforms to reality (as it is perceived by God.)

2. What is moral goodness? Moral goodness is aligning with godly righteousness, virtuous actions, and perfect living.

3. What is beauty? Beauty is that which is pleasing to the senses or to the understanding.

4. Ezekiel 36:26-27.

5. Ephesians 2:10.