How are all of you staying creative with the looming threat of AI?

MarcRobinson

I've also been stressing over this for a couple of weeks now, and I can totally relate to the way you feel. I've not been able to draw anything for about 5 days. It seems to me that the overwhelming majority of illustrators are in for a very hard time. The way this technology is going means that soon we will see high quality and completely customisable artwork created instantly and for free. Any technical limitations in what it can do now are almost certainly going to be fixed a lot sooner than we think. I can see myself saying in 5 years time "Do you remember when people used to say AI will never be able to do X? If only they could see the hellscape we live in now!"

I guess no one can predict exactly how this is all going to pan out, but I've got a very bad feeling about this.

Anything even remotely resembling "commercial" art, like editorial stuff, logo design, surface design, patterns, logos is going to be almost exclusively done by Ai in the next couple of years, with the more narrative stuff taken over soon after.
This is going to soak up all of the low to medium level art jobs. There will only be a tiny sliver of super high level artisan work left for humans to do. I REALLY hope I'm wrong, but it feels like the difference between mass produced flat-packed furniture, and beautiful hand made stuff. Nearly everyone buys the cheaper version. But in this world, the cheap furniture is now completely free.

I also don't think there is anything to be done to stop it. These desperate attempts at trying to legislate against it seem futile. Like trying to stop the sinking of the Titanic by plugging the hole with wet toilet paper. Maybe the upside will be that beautiful hand-made artwork and products will go massively up in value, but it'll have to be really stunning for people to pay the premium. Maybe it's time for most artists to revert back to a fine art model, and sell beautiful hand made originals.

Like all you guys, I make art because I love it and never plan to stop, but it seems the prospect of making a good/consistent living from it just got WAY harder. Our share of the market has just shrank to a fraction of what it was.
It's complete and total pants.

But as we head full steam towards this dystopian nightmare, we must still create for our own sake, and to share with creative souls like the people in this community. It'll be harder to make a living, but the emotional value our artwork has to our fellow humans has become greater.

ArtistErin

@kirsten-mcg @kirsten-mcg You're welcome I have traveled a long and windy road emotionally in my life, coming to new conclusions and connecting thought patterns to how I feel and then following that thread to what shows up. There will always be things that will shake up, because this is life, however I've learned to ride the wave better and not get tumbled by it!! I've been told I have my head in the sand, my boyfriend finds it funny that I don't watch the news. I'd rather foster a feeling of well-being, and let that be dominant!

I love the unfolding of this conversation you have started here, look at the unique perspectives! @ArtMelC I love the fact you're teaching your children using beautiful picture books, this WHY is the essence of my path as an illustrator... drawing for the kids.

@danielerossi I've been drawing digitally mostly the last 30+ years for client projects, and recently, I have noticed I'm missing the feel of pencils on paper, and that hunger for the tactile experience is primal. I have discovered in observing human nature, there's a special space where children go when you hand them paper and crayons, a world opens in their imagination. We are the same, only grown up and wiser in our own understanding of the world around us....

@K-Flagg Now all we can do is adapt and protect that space within. Our minds can go in all sorts of directions, and yes there will always be that section of the market that will pay nothing for something. You know what I say to those that are in that group, go for it! Free AI art serves a purpose there.

@MarcRobinson The purpose of creating, it is like a bird calling and calling her baby, incessant and relentless. I can't not draw, not ever. I would do this if I never made any money at it. And I know there are many, like us, that love natural, organic, inspired and connected. They love our processes and mindset, how we arrived to that illustration or whatever we create. These are the clients I want! The ones that are willing to collaborate, a co-creative rendevous, the fun along the way. These are those who have the funds set aside for creators, not cheap renditions...

If I see my art show up on some AI generated whatever I will speak up! Just like the many I am noticing pop up, saying this is not ok! Of course. Don't get mowed down yet it doesn't have to suck the life out of us, or make us fearful... Adapt, pivot, find solutions. Know who you are and stand in your own feet because only we can be ourselves right?

This could be how the market will drive artists to fine tune their craft. Get REALLY good at being you. Don't worry about things you cannot control, and stay the course. Funny how this ride feels a bit like being in a round about? You come back to where you started but we're so much better and hopefully wiser...

NessIllustration

@K-Flagg So far, editors and art directors are agreeing with us:

NessIllustration

@MarcRobinson I simply do not agree. I think low-level gigs and personal projects will be taken over my AI. Not the majority of commercial art gigs. The copyright and ethical issues are too big of a wall for companies to overcome, unless legislation side with AI which I'm not sure at all that's the way the wind is blowing.

Right now it's scary because the AI world is unregulated and it's the wild west out there. But it will not be like that forever. Legislation will come. The FTC has already begun algorithmic destruction for datasets obtained in a way deemed illegal.

ArtistErin

@NessIllustration Yayyyyy humans prevail Thank you @NessIllustration I love your in depth research. THANK YOU!!!

MarcRobinson

@NessIllustration you know I hope you're right, I really do.

MarcRobinson

@ArtistErin I love the passionate and human way you think about what we do. I live in hope.

ArtistErin

@MarcRobinson It feels better to stay in hope and trusting that.

davidhohn

@kirsten-mcg Glad to see this discussion happening here!

I've gone pretty far down this rabbit hole and would like to offer some additional data points:

The US Copyright office granted copyright protection to an Ai generated comic book images in September 2022. Copyright office revoked that protection in Nov.
Midjourney Ai (the program/company used) has offered to help in the appeal.
https://aibusiness.com/ml/ai-generated-comic-book-loses-copyright-protection

Adobe has signaled that it is supporting Ai images/content.

My takeaway: There is serious money and significant corporate influence getting behind making Ai images, Ai stories, etc. "the norm".

Tor Books used a stock illustration Ai image as a book cover -- got caught -- and is now trying to pretend they didn't know it was an Ai image.
https://gizmodo.com/tor-book-ai-art-cover-christopher-paolini-fractalverse-1849904058

My takeaway:
I don't believe Tor was unaware that they had an Ai image. You can see from a comparison of the two images that at some point a Tor in-house designer added the spaceman's second leg (the one that was missing from the Ai image)
No, Tor knows that Ai is a hot-button issue right now and they are trying to have it both ways. Get the cheapest, fastest (and I'll admit pretty-good) art they can while also desperately holding on to their reputation as an "illustrator-friendly" publisher. I would guess that Tor Books are anticipating that Ai images become a "tolerated norm" for book covers in the same way stock photos and stock illustrations have.

Ammar Reshi wrote and published a picture book over a 72 hour weekend (note that this book is currently ranked 10,697 on Amazon -- which means it is actively selling quite well)
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/chrisstokelwalker/tech-worker-ai-childrens-book-angers-illustrators

My takeaway: Don't think that any illustration niche or field is immune to Ai. These companies have huge financial incentive to make their algorithms more and more customizable.

When 3PP discussed Ai a just a few months ago it was a curiosity, and maybe a potential tool for creatives.
Now, less than a year later, it is actively targeting working illustrators and infringing their available body of work with the goal of mimicking that art style on-demand by clients and for profit.

All this could seem quite depressing until you realize that this is NOT inevitable. In fact the current state of Ai images is a result of the largest and most significant and willful copyright infringement ever.

Rather than making this post a novel I'll stop here -- but I'm happy to discuss further. It's a nuanced topic.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION -- and as a creative industry I believe we MUST take action -- have a look at the campaign link below.
I just donated to this effort. Check it out and see if you agree with the aims:
https://gofund.me/2df3dc07

kirsten-mcg

@danielerossi I've had this same sense of loss when I started working digitally. I love it. It's really fun! But I also miss traditional and end up going back to it quite a bit. But I find myself trying to tap my page with my 2 fingers a lot to undo lol! Maybe in the future all us illustrators will become art therapists. The world is going to need that with more and more digital things taking over our lives! I feel like traditional art especially has such a grounding and therapeutic effect.

kirsten-mcg

@MarcRobinson Sorry to know that you're going through this too. But it does help me to know that other people are struggling with this same thing. It makes it less lonely. And it is really beautiful how we've been able to come together as artists and encourage each other, even if it is just to acknowledge the pain and worry. I think the uncertainty of all this is one of the hardest parts. We can make all the predictions we want, but non of us really knows what's going to happen.

kirsten-mcg

@ArtistErin I've had my share of tumbles and bumps in life too, and like you, looking back, I'm starting to see how they pushed me to a place where I am happier, or set me up on a road that would lead me closer to finding what I'm really in the world to do. I loved what you said about getting really good about being you. I think i need to focus more on that. Decide what it is I'm trying to say and get really good at that...whether or not it leads to making a living from doing what i love.

kirsten-mcg

@NessIllustration I needed to see this!!!

kirsten-mcg

@NessIllustration I agree that for the short term we are safe. I just worry about what will happen if these companies are allowed to develop other generators in an "ethical" way (using copyright free images). We really are living in the "wild west of AI." It's a scary world to be sure!

kirsten-mcg

@davidhohn thanks for sharing what you've learned. I wasn't aware of the book cover used by Tor. If AI continues to take hold I'm afraid those will be one of the first jobs illustrators will get pushed out of. And thank you for sharing the link! I've been wondering how I can really help, other than just trying to raise awareness.

kirsten-mcg

I just read the BuzzFeed article @davidhohn posted about the AI picture book created by Ammar Reshi. I've got to say that while I think we need to stand up for ourselves as artist, I am disappointed that some people stooped to sending him "death threats and messages encouraging self-harm." We've got to be civil and encourage others to do so too! Being mean isn't going to help us.

NessIllustration

@kirsten-mcg If (or when) they develop an AI with copyright free sources, it will really become the tool that AI enthusiasts claim that it is. The AI will have a very specific "look" from being only able to access limited images.

Currently, one of the scariest things about AI is that people can use the name of an artists and feed their art in the AI to mimic their style. We've seen stories of artists getting their work replicated and even sold using their name.

With an ethically sourced AI, artists can decide if they want to be part of the dataset or not (I imagine, LOTS will opt out) which means our unique styles will be protected. That way, we can ensure clients still have to come to US for our unique style.

Jean Watson

@davidhohn said in How are all of you staying creative with the looming threat of AI?:

In fact the current state of Ai images is a result of the largest and most significant and willful copyright infringement ever.

Thanks very much for your input, David. I completely agree. Years ago my work involved obtaining copyright permissions for a publisher. It's pretty astounding that this art theft/copyright infringement has occurred as widely and quickly as it has. I guess legislation is always behind what's actually happening and in this case the development of Ai generated images has been particularly fast.

danielerossi

@MarcRobinson I think it’s best we learn to how to use these AI tools for the sole purpose of being able to keep ourselves marketable (if commercial art is where we want to go) and also to understand where the industry is going. Like when all the print designers at my work were being let go because they refused to learn web. Only two years ago I had to learn Squarespace, Canva, Webflow and similar apps on the job because they were faster than what I had to do with Adobe tools and code.

Just last night I was working on a book cover (not illustrative) and was doing some intense photoshopping of a photograph. It took me about 4 or 5 hours (A photo of a magnolia tree I took in my front yard where I’d like to remove the houses and cars behind the tree). I’m not happy with the result and found myself thinking “I wonder if I can build this in AI?”. If I can manage to create it then comes my next question — am I ripping off someone’s copyright? How would I know?

danielerossi

@kirsten-mcg I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up being right. That’s what I got into with my illustration work. Long story short: I’ve been drawing comics about stuttering featuring a fox character I created. I was asked at one point to give a cartooning class to kids at a stuttering conference. Then returned year after year. And that grew into an area of interest for me

So yes, a few jobs will be lost as others have already mentioned, however, we still have lots of room to think further outside the box.