jthrash 2022-12-15 06:19:51

ArtStation seems to be starting to address the problem since I first typed this…essay. It’s kind of a half-measure like DeviantArt so far (I can choose not to have my art used in AI algorithms, but I have to do it myself and by default my art will be used in those algorithms, once they get around to implementing this feature), but considering it’s a portfolio site, it’s a good thing they’re responding to the controversy so quickly, like they did before with the NFT/crypto controversy.

jthrash 2022-12-18 19:41:57

The protest against ArtStation is getting a growing amount of coverage on mainstream U.S. outlets--I've seen articles on it so far on Vice News, Futurism and even PC Gamer. It's definitely good that people are starting to compare the so-called "AI Revolution" to dystopian cyberpunk movies like Blade Runner, Robocop and, of course, Terminator, even if it's not a very uplifting thing to talk about so close to Christmas, because it means people are waking up to the fact that people that say "it's just a tool, don't worry!" are bald-faced liars and it is clearly meant to replace artists and humanity as a whole if left unchecked.

There is even a GoFundMe campaign, but because the creators of these machinations are threatening every job in existence, U.S. politicians may crack down on AI not to protect artists but to protect themselves from the "deepfakes" meant to imitate them and spread disinformation and mayhem, once Congress gets back to work after the holidays. China has already effectively banned AI in all its forms in the country for this reason.

I don't want to give false hope, but I know you've been worried a ton about this, and frankly this is exactly what our opponents in this debate want, for us to worry about a future we can't predict instead of constructively using our concerns as motivation to make our art far more unique and difficult to replace with generic AI art. It's because of potentially society-upending research like this that the Geneva Convention exists and other global economic guardrails are invented.

It's also becoming a bit of a "boy who cried wolf" situation where every new technology is declared to be earth-shattering, but even if the technology has the potential to do great good, all these bad actors give it a bad name and the technology ends up stalling because people are afraid of it. Remember when people warned about NFTs? The Metaverse? Cloud gaming (Google Stadia)? VR? Unreal's Metahumans and other simple 3D character generators? Poser? Heck, do you even know about the software Poser and how animators feared it will take their jobs around the early 2000s? I'm actually sad that VR might be dying out because it's associated by evil Meta/Facebook lizard-man Mark Zuckerburg, that would have created tons of new opportunities for artists and game developers if it grew as fast as experts predicted it would back in 2015.

A lot of proponents of using AI for finished work don't seem to understand the current problem of these algorithms using copyrighted works in the final generated image in any capacity. There are extreme examples where AI just spits up almost-perfect copies of famous National Geographic magazine covers. NatGeo is owned by Disney, so if politicians afraid of deepfakes don't get to the creators of these technologies first, then Disney's copyright lawyers certainly will.

jthrash 2022-12-18 23:42:07

You are right, it's not just luck that is hampering stuff like NFTs from upending our lives too much, it's people actively fighting against Big Tech's parasitic technologies. I just feel AI bros are using the dirty, dirty tactic of trying to make us give up hope and feel like we can't stop it from making us all homeless, so I don't want anyone to give in to the negativity and stop fighting.

In general, it seems like people are (wisely) becoming more skeptical of unregulated technology. It seemed like a decade ago we were welcoming in addictive smartphones, mental-health-destroying social media like Twitter, and exploitative "free-to-play" online games with open arms and scoffing at the "luddites" for warning us about that stuff, but now it feels like Big Tech inventions have to pass a sort of trust test just to keep people from panicking and protesting against them. So far, only smaller, more community-driven stuff like Blender 3D, Mastodon and Newgrounds seem to even try to get us to let our guard down. I don't envy Tom Fulp's workload these days, by the way. First a deluge of former Twitter artists came here, then former DeviantArtists, now people disillusioned by ArtStation.

Speaking of healthy skepticism, you may want to lay off whatever online conspiracy theories you're reading, at least until you feel better about the state of the world and Brazil. I have never once heard of "Mondex Chips" (which is probably a good sign it's not infiltrating the mainstream, assuming it exists at all) and Elon Musk has lost so, so much credibility since he started sabotaging Twitter that only a handful of his stupidest fans would be guinea pigs for "Neuralink chips" (again, assuming that exists at all). The world is very divided right now and people getting angry at stuff on the Internet that may not actually be real only causes more chaos. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt, but it may be time to start a big new EOFS animation project if you have the time to worry about tons of other stuff besides AI Art.

jthrash 2022-12-19 00:44:39

I'm still concerned about you listening to conspiracy theories in the background while you work, I personally prefer listening to video game and movie soundtracks from my childhood when I work, but if you can handle that stuff without going crazy, I have no right to stop you. Coincidentally your EOFS episode will be only two seconds shorter than the animation I've been doing for a client for the past year and a half when I finally upload that.

That's what makes me sick about people who say "AI is here and there's nothing you can do to stop it" or "it will take all of your jobs!" to young artists who need reassurance right now. They want us to give up and spend time worrying about the future instead of just continuing to improve our skills. Good for you for finding a specific Bible verse to turn to when you find yourself worrying about stuff you can't control. I should do the same.