Opinion | AI art does more harm than good

Throughout the last year or so, AI, or artificial intelligence, has become more and more popular and intertwined in our lives. Even on social media, I can’t seem to escape it. Though AI chatbots have weaved their way onto social media platforms and even professional workplaces, I am much more interested in images. I want to speak my truth and say that I like AI art. 

Whenever an AI image comes up on my Twitter feed or my TikTok for you page, I’m always entertained. Where else can I see a picture of Steve Harvey crying with a bottle of whiskey or capybaras as Taylor Swift songs? To me, it’s simply just pleasing to the eye. I think AI should be used for fun and silly things that we aren’t able to see on our own, like the recent trend where celebrities and influencers used AI to create images of what they would look like in a high school yearbook. This trend was entertaining, and I think it’s good that we can enjoyably use AI. It’s fascinating to see just how much AI can do and how engaging it can be. Personally, I am enthralled with AI art and have no problem with it when it creates things that I find amusing. 

Although I do find AI art amusing, sometimes I feel guilty whenever I find myself enjoying it too much. I know that, in reality, a hardworking artist could have easily made this. It makes me wonder why we put so much value into something that was made by a computer. There was no work put into it — it’s nothing but the result of convenience. But is AI starting to become too convenient? Is that so-called art truly worth anything if all you did was type a prompt into a computer? The answer is no. 

In the 21st century, there is no doubt that everyone moves too fast. Everyone wants a way to get things done faster, easier and simpler — this is where AI comes into play. Instead of putting the time and effort into our work, people would rather take the more convenient route and use AI. But shouldn’t we want to put hard work into something? Everyone should be able to create a piece of art that they can be proud of because of how much effort they put into it. With the uprise of AI, this concept is starting to be ruined. 

AI has the power to write essays, produce songs and make images, and people are starting to use it more and more. In schools, AI has done significant damage that may be hard to undo. If students are assigned an essay, they can put a copy of the prompt right into ChatGPT to get a full piece of writing in less than 10 seconds. This eliminates the purpose of the work, and students get absolutely nothing out of it.

By doing this, students cheat themselves out of necessary skills that the assignments are meant to help them develop. Kids need to learn how to write essays and solve math problems even if they don’t want to. Everyone needs to learn these skills in school to stimulate their brains and challenge themselves in the school setting. Using AI on assignments is just taking the easy way out simply because it is faster and more convenient. With how easy it is to use AI, many students will more than likely never stop using it and ultimately disrupt their education. 

Along with AI creating pieces of writing, it is taking opportunities away from artists. Recently, Marvel came out with a new show called “Secret Invasion,” which streams on Disney+. Soon after its release, people were quick to notice that Marvel used AI-generated images in the opening credit scenes. Instead of using AI, Marvel could have easily hired a group of artists to create the opening scenes for them, helping to shrink the 3.9% unemployment rate of artists in America, but they didn’t. They found it much cheaper and, again, more convenient to simply use AI instead of having to pay artists to make something for them. It’s upsetting to know that AI is taking jobs from artists who work hard and ultimately deserve to work.

Another problem that AI art creates is being able to trick people into thinking that certain images are real. AI art has a very distinct look, and when you look closely, it is very easy to tell when something was made by AI or not. But, if you’re not paying close attention to detail, there is no doubt that you might see an AI image and think it’s a photograph. This can lead people to believe false information that can rapidly spread through social media. 

It’s clear to see that AI is rapidly changing our society and changing what we consider art. And while I do enjoy AI art, I can recognize how damaging it can be to our society. We all value convenience and accessibility, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to take your time with things, to sit down and draw, write, sing and produce something that you can look back on and be proud that you made it. AI gets rid of the pride that you can have when you make a piece of art. Yes, it may be hard to get to that end product, but it is so fulfilling when you do. 

There may be no getting rid of AI completely, but that does not mean that we have to rely on it. I think we all need to be able to appreciate real art again and think about the time and effort artists put into producing their work. Go to a museum or an art gallery, listen to music by your favorite artists, read classic literature and remember why real art is so amazing.

Danae Poteat writes primarily about pop culture and current events. Write to her at dmp152@pitt.edu.