By: Jamie Casemore
Few technologies experience the meteoric rise that AI has seen over the past few years. While experts may disagree on the minutia of how the technology will impact people and society at large, they all agree on one thing: its effect will be profound.
As with all technologies that have the disruptive capabilities of AI, the shadow of automation-driven unemployment looms over almost every industry, art included. However, the question is: Will AI augment these jobs or make these jobs obsolete?
“People used to think that (AI) would only going to affect only manual labour and it wouldn’t have any impact on intellectual or creative labour. Well, that’s just definitely false,” said Don Howard, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Two examples that Howard highlighted included the streamlining of animation using digital technology to cut down on the use of overseas studios, as well as the concerns of actors, especially extras, being replaced with AI.
While unemployment resulting from AI is certainly a major concern for artists, AI also raises secondary concerns for artists, including the loss of government funding as politicians look to accelerate growth of AI technology.
“We’re investing a lot into AI and really not so much into art, culture and the creation of art itself,” said Valentine Goddard, lawyer, artist, member of the Advisory Council on AI of Canada and United Nations expert on AI Policy and Governance. “I think we’re headed into a very dark period. I don’t think it’s sustainable economically, and I think it’s dangerous for democracy to not have a vibrant and solid arts and cultural sector.”
Another concern that Goddard expressed was the amplification of bias seen in AI that enhances stereotypes, especially of underrepresented or marginalized groups. For example, a Bloomberg analysis of Stable Diffusion, a popular AI image generator, found that when prompted with “inmate,” more than 80 per cent of the images generated featured dark-skinned people, amplifying the bias of the datasets it had been trained on. Other examples of this bias include showing mainly white men when being prompted with things like doctor or boss or consistently sexualizing women.
For Goddard, addressing and correcting issues of bias, developing major Canadian large language models, and ensuring artists are compensated for contributing their work to AI models are essential before she believes AI can become a beneficial tool for the arts community.
“It is just impossible to work with (AI) as an artist,” Goddard said. “Some people will tell me, ‘Well, it’s just a tool, just like any other.’ I’ve never been slapped in the face, sexualized or objectified by a paint brush… We need more political and economic will because we’ve seen so far that no efforts have been made by the tech industry.”
Recently, the Council of the European Union approved the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, aiming to begin regulating the technology and banning some morally dubious uses of AI. For example, the act bans using AI to manipulate people’s emotions and decisions, classifying people based on social behaviour or personal traits, and predicting a person’s risk of committing a crime.
Canada is also developing an AI regulation act as part of Bill C-27, which is looking to draw on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and along with other AI regulation acts from other countries.
While the United States, where the major AI companies are located, does not currently have comprehensive AI regulation, Howard believes that with the EU AI Act in place, companies will begin to follow standard regulations globally.
“Most corporations all around the world, because they want to do business in the EU, instead of having one platform for the EU and one for non-EU, they just change their business practices totally to conform with EU guidelines,” Howard said.
An important part of the EU AI Act is that it can be updated as AI technology develops to make sure that technology is being managed responsibly and limiting the risk of major issues developing.
Potential benefits of AI for those in the arts
Part of the difficulty of evaluating AI is how diverse and paradoxical its effect can be. While one part of the art industry may be irreparably harmed, another may benefit from a streamlined work process and the ability to automate time-consuming tasks.
“Initially, I saw (AI) as a threat, but now I’m seeing it more like an advanced tool,” said John Lee, professor of 3D animation and digital visual effects as well as the emerging technology specialist at Centennial College’s School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design.
Lee said that in the visual effects and 3D animation industries, AI is already being widely used to automate tasks normally done by junior employees fresh out of school, which, without AI-assistance, could take weeks or months to do by hand.
“(AI seems to present) a bit of a disadvantage for students who just graduated and want to get a job to start their career,” Lee said. The studios understand that aspect, so they want to continue to hire students to bring them in and train them to use (the AI tools…) I know people fear losing their jobs, but in my view, it’s only going to enhance their workflow and make things better for them.”
Past technological developments were forecast to cause job loss and change society permanently, but they lacked the unique ability to be asked what they themselves thought about service as a catalyst for such major change.
So, when ChatGPT is asked if it believes it represents a threat to the livelihoods of visual artists, how does it respond?
“AI represents both potential threats and opportunities for visual artists,” said ChatGPT in a generated response. “While AI can automate certain tasks, potentially reducing the demand for manual labour, it also offers tools for creativity, efficiency, and new forms of expression. Artists who embrace AI can streamline workflows, explore new techniques, and reach broader audiences. Ultimately, how AI impacts livelihoods depends on how artists adapt and integrate these technologies into their practice.”
That is ChatGPT’s opinion, but like for all technology of its ilk, the true totality of AI’s impact will not be completely known for years to come.