25.12.2024 - 27.12.2024

At the beginning of this year, I posted a little infotainment rant and my thoughts on Plagiarism and AI. And now, it's Christmas and a video is going viral on WhatsApp which I also came across on YouTube and you can watch it here ➡️

Weird right? I mean most of the people who appeared in this video passed away long ago, yet their faces have been used to create a "Merry" Christmas video. But this made me think back on all the AI ethic debates I've encountered on the Internet this year and thought, maybe it's time to update this rant on a few more points.

What was AI trained on?

It's a question that must've crossed your mind at least once whilst scrolling through a Pinterest page full of AI "art" or watching a video that looks weird, only to go to the comments section to see people calling it out as made by AI.

Here's an interview by OpenAI's CTO on Sora (AI video generator) and you can watch it in full or skip to 4:03 as the WSJ Interviewer asks this same question.

https://youtu.be/mAUpxN-EIgU

The CTO claims that the AI model was trained on "publically available data and licensed data" and when the interviewer asks about YouTube, Instagram and Facebook videos, the CTO pauses and says they aren't sure about it.

And so, it raises doubt again on how much these AI-generated images and videos are actually ethical or perhaps even legal? But we know that AI has managed to slip through the cracks and loopholes in our existing legal systems.

But another outburst was bound to happen when this news went viral on the Internet:

Link ➡️

"Limiting training data to public domain books and drawings created more than a century ago might yield an interesting experiment, but would not provide AI systems that meet the needs of today's citizens."
-OpenAI

If you read the article further, you'll also get to know the various companies and people suing OpenAI. All of this does raise reasonable doubts about what artists are now calling: "art theft".

But going back to the statement I quoted above, I wonder- What is the need of today's citizens?

The need for Generative AI?

People have often compared the dawn of AI to the era when computers were brought in for the first time and how people feared their jobs were in trouble because of it. And the argument given back then was that it would reduce the amount of labour a person would have to give BUT this same argument isn't applicable to generative AI.

Yes, summarising an entire Google Search in a few sentences can be helpful whilst doing research for your school projects. But is it worth it? How much would you be learning and thinking about the topic and the associated sub-topics if you asked your chatbot to write it down for you?

Yes, art takes time and patience and years of refining your skills but a bot can do that in minutes for you. But is it worth it? Can this so-called "AI art" hold a candle to the human touch, emotions and efforts that were poured into the making of a sketch or a painting?

Yes, video editing takes a long time and searching for the right resources for your next rant/video essay/vlog is time-consuming. Even in the making of a film or a show you have to pay the actors, crew and editors so why not just let a bot do the work for you? But is it worth it? Can these AI videos convey any emotions that were captured raw on film by a human? Or compare to the human touch of colours and lighting they add to intensify the weight of the scene?

Is it worth it? Is it worth losing your skills, creativity and thinking abilities to an artificial robot just so you can save some time?

And what are you going to use the "saved time" for? Washing dishes? A machine is doing that. Washing clothes? A machine is doing that. Clean your house? A machine is doing that. Create art? Oh, yes- no- a machine is doing that.

How to raise your voice?

If you, like me are not in favour of Generative AI, then RAISE your voice. Talk about your opinions on any or all social media platforms you use about the risks and theft that AI is associated with.

But, if you are an AI user, generating art and videos using the numerous bots online, then consider all that I've said, for at least a good minute. If your thinking abilities haven't been affected by AI already then you can see it's just a multi-million dollar business targeting human creativity, nothing more.

( OpenAI's net worth now stands at 157 billion dollars. Plus, you can already see other big companies increasing their profits in this field like Microsoft with Bing, Google with Gemini, etc. )

If you don't know how to draw? Learn it.

If you don't know how to write? Learn it.

If you don't know how to edit videos? Learn it.

There are so many creators online who have free tutorials on how to improve your skills in these creative fields. (and many more paid tutorials and guidebooks if you can invest in it)

So stop being a potato and get your butt off that couch and start creating.

AND if you think you're not good at this whole videography or art thing- then practice, practice, and PRACTICE. I had no idea of graphic designing or any of its principles but I taught myself using whatever resources I had access to, online and after 3 years of patience and practice, I have somewhat got the gist of it. I may not be a great designer but at least I can be certain of the fact that I'm not using other means to make my designs that exploit the copyright and credibility of other artists.

Alternatives?

1️⃣ For drawing OCs, here's a Tumblr post I found helpful:

( the tags were important too 🤣 )

Link ➡️

2️⃣ For designing covers, here are a few free graphic tutorial books on Wattpad:
Feel free to suggest more here →

▪ BLUE + PINK by naoella_ ➡️

▪ WE ON by NikkieKookie ➡️

▪ ENCHANTED by alfaesha ➡️

▪ Mine? Coming soon, summer 2025 ;)

3️⃣ For copyright-free resources and images you can check out the chapter before this for some helpful sites that I'll repeat here: Pexels, Pixabay, Deviantart, Freepik etc.
Feel free to suggest more here →

4️⃣ Some creators who provide free Art tutorials & Tips:
Feel free to suggest more here →

▪ SamDoesArts (YouTube)

▪ koolean (YouTube)

▪ Kirsty Partridge Art (YouTube)

▪ makoccino (YouTube)

▪ Shayda Campbell (YouTube)

▪ loisvb (Instagram + Tumblr)

be sure to:

📎tag people

✈️ share this chapter

📚 add this book to your library and reading lists

this is so we can reach more people as we voice our thoughts.

and thank you for your love & support on the previous chapter 🫶✨

until next time,
PACE!
[ Positive Attitude Changes Everything ]