Artificial Intelligence appears to make life easier for some. But how are these tools impacting artists? Yvonne Boose talks with a couple of local creators to find out.
Adobe research has found that most Americans who have used AI to create expect that the tool will help them be more creative.
But other reports show that some artists have sued AI companies over copyright infringement.
Betsy Youngquist is a sculptural mosaic artist in the Rockford area. She has a creative partnership with artist R. Scott Long. She said her initial concern with AI came from the idea of possible copyright infringements. Youngquist said artists are already sensitive to that.
“Because what happens is department stores will troll Etsy and the internet for images for ideas,” she said, “and then they copy those ideas, and they mass produce them.”
She said AI adds another layer to the problem — one that is harder to see.
Besides that, Youngquist said AI could be used as an inspirational tool for artists.
“It’s not taking over the artists job,” she added, “it is just getting the artists a little further along. To, to move them towards their creative point. So, I don't have a problem with that.”
Jeffrey Foster is a graphic designer. He recently moved from the DeKalb area and now lives in the western suburbs. He said AI technology has been around for artists for more than a couple of decades. He used plugins an example. These add-on features help enhance the functionality of certain software. He used to use a program called "Painter."
“Which would basically help you keep your lines straight," he explained. "It would help you turn a scribble into something more concise, you know, and we didn't think about it very much. We didn't use tools, you know.”
Foster is also a painter, and he said he used to clean things up manually, but he said that took tons of time.
“And then Adobe came along with some speed-up tools," he said. "And that's AI."
Foster said although in some ways machinery makes things faster, there are also times where it slows down the process.
“And I think people may be wasting time, to be quite honest,” he said. “Because some time, I know, in my experience, some of my best ideas were my first or second idea. And then I did 10 more. And then I went back to the first two."
He compares using apps that spit out different possibilities to using a dating app. He said when you choose something, you may not see the imperfections until later.
These mistakes may not be noticeable to a noncreative, but Foster said seasoned artists can clearly see these flaws. He said, depending on the program, something that is supposed to be one thing could end up being something totally different.
“The computer took an eye, and it added it in place of a palm,” he explained. “Because if you think about the shape of your palm is oval, and it used that somehow, it’s like distorted to an object that looks similar to the computer.”
Youngquist wants to remind everyone that AI is a tool that has positive and negative sides. She said she doesn’t believe that this technology will replace artists. She said her designs come from a place that a computer can’t connect with.
“And you know, it can be divine inspiration. It could be a muse, it could be you know, however you want to phrase that, when you're in your creative bliss, when you're in your flow.”
Foster agrees that a person’s experience and passion is needed to create. But he said he believes in creativity and technology equally. However, he is apprehensive about how the tool may impact younger creatives.
“My kids are all artists. And so, I really want to make sure that they're not feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities,” he said. “I think good art comes from, from you know, being able to focus and to put your heart mind and soul into your work. Versus we can get sidetracked we can get distracted very easily. And I think sometimes AI technology can be a distraction.”
Distraction or not, AI is saturating many industries. But as these artists say — this apparatus can never replace the essence of a human.
