As summer came to a close this year, my friends and I went to a small outdoor concert in our hometown. They always have local food vendors, so we decided on having a fun night of music and food. We were immediately drawn to a tent that was selling tacos and got in line right away. As we moved up the line, I started taking a closer look at the menu. It showed cartoon versions of the foods it had, but the details on the menu didn’t make sense. I whispered to my friend right before we ordered, “Their menu is AI.”
AI has become a prominent aspect in all of our lives over the past few years. Banners made with artificial intelligence have been infiltrating businesses and organizations everywhere. And the more I see AI being used, the more I wish it was never invented in the first place. Unfortunately, I cannot destroy AI (though I really wish I could), so I’ve decided to combat it with my own human-made creations.
This summer, I learned how to crochet. Instead of using AI to learn, a friend of mine taught me the skills I needed to make a plushie. I started coloring too — I know, very adult of me — but I add meticulous details and shading that breathes life into the pages.
Now that I’ve started creating, I’ve noticed myself becoming more appreciative of art. Even from just a few months of being more creative, I’ve really come to understand the amount of time and labor it takes to make a piece of art stunning.
Now when I look at artwork, I understand how important it is to keep human creation alive in our society. AI merely copies what humans have been developing and creating for centuries, cheapening the value of art and taking away from what we’re capable of.
And we’re so much more than that.
To all of you reading this, before you send a prompt to ChatGPT for your next birthday party invite, I encourage you to get creative. Design your own banners for events, make some homemade decor for your living spaces or try an easy store-bought craft.
The best part is that you get to claim it! When people ask about your art, you can feel a sense of pride in telling them that you made it yourself. This is the most rewarding part, and I find it motivating to create something that you can be proud of. It is the best encouragement of all, and it brings so much self-improvement.
Even though I hate it, AI was actually the thing that got me more into art. Thanks, ChatGPT, for showing me the value of human-made creations.
The next time you find yourself cringing at an AI-generated banner, let it serve as motivation. Find ways to make your own original creations and do something meaningful.
And no, this is not one big article bashing that taco stand I mentioned in the beginning. But maybe it can serve as inspiration to reflect on our lives with artificial intelligence, and how its existence could actually make original art more valuable than ever before.