It has come up in all my classes so far this semester: AI is coming, and we have to work with it. In these discussions, I’m hearing my peers discuss all the ways they’ve used it: cover letters, email writing, paper writing, generating art prompts, and so much more.
I am not completely stuck in the traditional ways, but I will admit I am a lot more apprehensive than the peer in the seat next to me. In fact, I might be one of the very few students who has never opened up an AI program to work on my assignments.
It’s not that I am so against an evolving technology or that I think I’m better. It is that all my life, I have had to better myself by succeeding in my conscience. Truthfully, the thought of surrendering some of that integrity to data programming scares me. Instead, I’m doing the research to understand and to properly use it as a crutch, not a liferaft.
The whole process behind AI is that it’s generated from the internet. This means it’s pulling from existing writing works and published artwork. We have to recognize that when using AI programs to help us create new ideas. If you are not taking the time to go back and research the words or art that is generated, then you could be committing the horrid act of plagiarism.
As an art student, I spent some time looking into Adobe Firefly, a newer ethical generative AI program. Adobe programmed the new feature to pull from an endless library of existing Adobe stock photos. With the introduction of the program, Adobe has also pushed Congress for legislation on the Federal Anti-Impersonation Right, an act that will give artists the right to take action against AI-generated impersonation of their work.
More than this, any depiction of a person’s likeness through AI manipulation will have grounds for action. These are the kinds of steps that should be taken. Research the programs you are using and where they are pulling from. Research what protections they are giving their users.
The human brain should still play a part in the creative process. Let your head sit within a traditional brainstorm for a considerable amount of time. With time, ideas will start to form, and yes, they won’t all be winners. However, those original ideas are going to propel you to think deeper and then maybe start productively using AI as a tool.
I promise you will feel more accomplished than if you sit for half an hour, give up, and feed a machine a couple of questions to generate prompts. Be alert and enjoy the benefits of an evolving tech landscape.