This Side of Fifty: Art: Part 2

Frank Zappa smashing an oud
on a speaker

So, it was well established in Part1 that I cannot draw, sculpt, turn a pot, weave, or anything beyond doodling that might be considered fine art. The last art class I actually remember taking was maybe in fifth grade. We were just beginning to dabble in perspective. On second thought, dabble may be too strong a word. Given how good I would be at plane geometry just a few years later, I was that bad at the application of perspective using paper, pencil, and a straightedge.

Fast forward to today and the amazing possibilities of artificial intelligence in the field of fine and graphic arts. Artists are upset over the ease their work can be emulated in much less time it would take them and, I am guessing, at a fraction of the cost. All the news on this seems to have peaked and then stopped in October 2023 when lawsuits were filed by artists to get some control of a trend that that could dramatically change their livelihoods. Per Popular Science, “A caricaturist on the sidewalk of a busy city can whip up a cheeky portrait within a few minutes and a couple dozen drawings a day. Compare that to popular image generators like DALL-E, which can make millions of unique images daily.”

AI Generated Image from Popular Science Article

Whether we know it or not, we are seeing more and more AI generated images and videos. They abound in social media and advertising. The more realistic they become and the easier they become to create, there will be less need to for actors and models as well as photographers and film crews. This has already happened in the music industry with one composer with sophisticated software can score an entire movie and make it sound like a lush orchestra performing the soundtrack.

This is progress. And while everyone may not agree, and for the record, I am not sure I do. It happens or has happened in all fields. Technological advances and automation have been replacing jobs and entire professions for centuries. Historically, this has happened mostly in the realm of laborers, hourly unskilled labor. More recently, the advent of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and now AI is hitting the white collar and professional ranks. The basic principle these days is that the ERP or AI does a bulk of the routine transactions and human expertise is needed only for the exceptions. Thus, less human expertise is needed. Basically, a lot less people are needed. This may now be impacting artists and graphic artists. It will no doubt impact doctors, lawyers, and accountants. How many radiologists and diagnosticians will be needed when AI can analyze MRIs, CT scans, and x-rays faster, cheaper, and more reliably than the humans can?

When it comes to business, it is cut and dry. Firms will choose the most productive solution. If quality and service levels are maintained or improved, they will choose the more productive option every time. It is the way of commerce. If one firm chooses not to take the more productive option, their competitors will do so and gain an advantage.

Will artists go away? Did musicians and composers go away? No. They still write, perform, more indy, local, and perhaps more part-time than before. Some of the best musicians I know are part timers. Success in the field is a steep pyramid that is getting more steep. So, I expect fine and graphic artists will still express themselves find other channels to show and sell their work.

When it comes to music and fine art, here are a few examples of the oud and AI generated graphics. It is incredible how quickly and easily these incredible graphics are generated given a subscription to the right AI app and some simple experimentation.