FFRefresh 2 years ago

Not to be too much of a cynic, but this article definitely has me losing a bit of respect for this writer.

It reads like the social acceptance of his writing/illustration is of the utmost importance to him, and that social acceptance should trump other considerations. This type of yearning is a trust buster for me. I don't want writers/publications towing whatever the politically correct line is for that given moment, I want them to be intellectually honest and open for whatever topic they are writing about.

Perhaps I would interpret it differently if he was honestly wrestling with the impact and considerations of technology, instead of just reacting to a Twitter rainstorm that came and went like they all do. I don't feel like he's really grappling with it, just giving into the simplistic "AI art can take our jobs away, so therefore it's bad" take, but then ignoring how he uses other technologies that people aren't complaining to him about on Twitter. (this of course is not to say anything about the ethics of said technology, my comment is about intellectual honesty and not groveling)

If this writer was really sincere about not wanting to leverage technology that could have the downstream consequence of job displacement, why on earth is he writing on the internet and interacting with so many people on the internet? There are so many jobs that could be involved in physically distributing the information that he wants to distribute, but he knowingly plays a part in using a distribution system that is essentially zero-cost and doesn't need labor to distribute information. Why is he using Getty instead of working with independent photographers/illustrators and paying them MORE? (I know he said he will pay the complaining illustrator on a future one, but that was done because he was called out)

It's going to be the same story with AI art and AI other things. I would predict that at some point in the next 5 years this writer will be using AI art again, because it'll be more socially acceptable then.

I obviously say this all from the position of not being in the eye of a Twitter outrage cycle, but man, I would love to see more people not kowtow to the mob and just let it pass...

rdtwo 2 years ago

He did something new and innovative. Someone on the internet was upset. It was too much the author promised never to innovate again. Seriously progress will hurt people’s feelings and affect existing industries. That’s ok

ggariepy 2 years ago

The self-flagellation is annoying. The author should get a grip and ignore the Twitterverse.

walrus01 2 years ago

Nobody should ever feel the need to apologize for something that graphically depicts Alex Jones in a less than flattering light.

hannyaharamita 2 years ago

If he, and others in his profession before him, had written on typewriters, the typewriter company employees could still be working at typewriter companies.

kwertyoowiyop 2 years ago

I’d rather see web sites with AI-generated art, rather than the same old stock photos. At least there will be a chance of originality.