Thoughts on AI
Tools for the future, used in the present.
Overview
As an artist, I often struggle with executing creative ideas, turning them from thought and concepts into something real and understandable. It was a process so daunting that oftentimes I would simply abandon great ideas because I lacked the storyboard discipline. For the longest time I felt like a prisoner in my own mind. So, I believe that a lot of great ideas got lost in the digital maelstrom.
Then came AI.
At first I was very skeptical like almost every fellow creator I know. Would it stand up to the creative task it was entrusted with? Could it represent my ideas in a human way, although the approach was artificial? By inputting all my creative content, could it follow the creative process and could it really improve and think through a storyline? Since AI was created to ‘predict’ rather than ‘question’, what would the outcome be?
So many questions.
Prompt Engineering
Then all the tools came out, ChatGPT, Sonu, MidJourney, RunWayML, ElevenLabs, and so many more are added each day.
Here’s a great list from our dear friend Tony Rockliff:
At first, the question for me was, what should I ask it?
Once I opened my accounts on all of these LLM platforms, I became mentally and emotionally overwhelmed at the sheer never ending possibilities. Since I am dealing with an intelligence that was programmed by humans, I decided to give it a try. Almost like a child I began to prepare my prompts very simply and carefully, never losing sight of the fact that the more I input the better the result would be. And, most importantly to tell it when it did a good job!
So, armored myself with politeness and I embarked on the never ending journey down the proverbial rabbit hole.
Present
I am at the stage now where I have one AI talk to other AI’s, speeding the work process up by multifold.
At the same time I am thinking about the power consumption I am burning, making my carbon footprint worse than the exhaust on my car. And believe me, you can and will get lost in your own creation. So, I use AI with precision and suggest you do the same.
Since AI is a million times faster than the average human being, it is important to understand the way that we are progressing through time. I’ve been asked repeatedly if I fear AI and the implications it might have for all of humanity and I answer with a sound NO.
Once we understand that it is here to help us through the creative process, it is actually quite necessary. Just imagine where we will be with all the advancements in medicine, infrastructure, learning, etc.
What I am afraid of is, that AI will advance so far that we will not able to understand it anymore.
It will build its own universe, will have its own language, its own art and music. Its own creations.
Add Quantum Computing to that equation and we will be left in the dust.
That’s my fear. But for now, I really appreciate the help with my creative workflow.
To sum it up
So, what is the consequence of all these tools, this electrical power burn, this never ending quest for creating new things, new worlds, new thought patterns, new art and music?
Well, I predict that there will be a certain ‘digital fatigue’ that we will be experiencing. It is in our nature to be ’needed’. We strive to do our best and get recognition and respect. What is the Uber driver, the Amazon delivery driver, the warehouse worker, the accounting consultant, the ad agency intern, the nurse practitioner, etc. going to do, when all this is replaced by machines? Sit on the couch and get a paycheck from the government? It’s coming and we are not ready for it. At this ‘break neck speed’ of digital delivery, it will come as no surprise that we are all going to get tired of FB, IG, TIK, and all the other platforms out there constantly seeking our attention. Floods of biblical proportions of never ending digital streams of content we are consuming in milliseconds, never allowing us to take a break, or a breather.
I remember happier days, ever though it was hard to make music and fulfill your dreams, to make a career out of it. But at least you didn’t experience ‘instant gratification’, you had actually had to work for it to get somewhere. I miss those days.
What will ‘creativity’ look like 5 years from now? Are we still going to be involved as humans?
Those are the questions that keep me up at night. What will the future look like?
That’s why I wrote the GEIST trilogy, to keep my sanity and let it all out.
