The Big Bad AI
The Big Bad AI
Who’s afraid of the Big Bad AI? Pretty much every single person in a creative and technology profession, that’s who. We should all be scared; AI is everywhere. 2023 was a big year for layoffs and execs telling us to “work smarter”. A report from ResumeBuilder reveals that in 2023, 37% of companies employing AI said that the technology replaced workers and 44% of surveyed companies anticipate AI leading to layoffs in 2024. I was even forced to lay off most of my creative team, had my contractor budget cut and was told to “utilize AI” to replace them. However, AI is NOT a replacement for human creatives. One more time for those c-suites in the back… AI IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR HUMAN CREATIVES.
Can AI write an article quickly? In the words of Severus Snape: Obviously. Is that article better than a human written-article? No. Most AI-generated content reads like, well, AI-generated content. It’s clunky, may not be accurate, or may not use the most up-to-date information. And Google is cracking down even more on what they call “automatically generated low-quality content”. So, you might save money by having AI write that article, but it’s going to impact your SEO rankings, meaning less people to your site, which means, less revenue for you. And let’s not get into the compliance and legal gamble you are taking if you aren’t double and triple-checking every single fact in that article.
AI-generated images and videos are getting scary realistic. It can sometimes be difficult to tell what’s real any more. Can those of us who stare at images and stock photos/videos hours a day be able to tell? Usually. Can your Aunt Shirley in small town Iowa be able to tell that perhaps a certain “politician” puts out AI generated? Most likely not. AI is being utilized to lie and to manipulate, to create false narratives that most people can’t differentiate from fact.
Where do you think these “AI generated images” come from? Thin air? Do you think Professor McGonagall is just sitting behind a big computer with her wand, transfiguring new images out of thin air? No no, you silly Muggle (I don’t know why the Harry Potter references either, just roll with it). Simply explained: AI algorithms read and then mimic existing art and imagery, copying styles and blending pieces of many, many images from the internet. AI cannot generate an image from nothing, which means that AI-generated artwork is based on existing pieces of art created by humans. The artists who created the originals are not getting credit or compensation. So who is profiting? Billionaire investors in Silicon Valley. Side note: I did not set out to write an angry post, but here we are.
What can we do about it? Probably not a lot. You can try to file a lawsuit, like the New York Times, but it probably won’t do anything. You can write a slightly angry blog post, where one person might read it (hi Mom!). We CAN learn ways to use AI that won’t steal content created from us non-robot biological beings.
Here’s a few ways to utilize AI as a tool, and not an automated thief:
Proofing: I’m not a writer (I type, as I write this) so I will be copying and pasting this into AI, asking it to double-check for grammatical errors. I will probably ignore anything it says though, as I don’t want to sound like a machine.
Brainstorming: If you are stuck, sure, ask AI for ideas, ask it for options of a headline for an ad or article. Ask it for ideas if you are stuck visually. But just use it as a jump-off point, something to help loosen those sticky thoughts. DON’T use AI generated images or video.
Studying: Use AI to study for a test. Ask for quizzes, have it explain complex things in simple terms, ask it to explain how to solve a problem for your kid’s seventh grade advanced math homework (not that I have done this, except I have, math is hard). DON’T use it to cheat by giving you answers or writing your papers, teachers aren’t dumb anywho.
Job hunting: Have AI assist you with your resume or cover letter, have it do customized job searches, use it to practice for an interview, because probably you got laid off due to AI taking over your job, so might as well use it to help you find a new one.
Jazzing up your own words: Write an email, then ask AI to make it sound more professional because your boss doesn’t understand “Lonnie Speak”. Or write an email and then have AI rewrite it to sound like Moira Rose, this is encouraged actually.
To sum it up: AI is NOT a replacement for humans, AI DOES create sub-par content by stealing intellectual property, so use caution when using it, but you CAN use it as a tool, if you are careful, and mindful, and just a nice human/muggle.
*The writer of this post wrote it with her own brain, not AI, probably you can tell.
**Even though the writer of this post enjoys Harry Potter, she does NOT share the same stance on transgender and sexual identity as the author of Harry Potter, and she is devastated that someone who could create such a magical world could hold such Voldemort-like views on a population that just wants to be free to be who they are.
