In recent years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the creative arts. It is interesting and a bit worrying to see how this technology has entered the art world. It feels like a big theft. Who thought our creative work could be copied so easily by machines? It is like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but the rabbit is your artwork, and the magician is a tech company.
In 2022, I saw copies of my work online. At first, these pieces looked like weak imitations. They seemed like they were made by a teenager who just started to make art. My lines and colors were copied by AI image generators that took inspiration from the internet. They used my inspiration without giving me credit or money.
This was not just a personal issue; it felt like an attack on all artists. Imagine billions of images taken from the internet, losing their meaning and value. This feeds a machine that makes art without real feelings. It is a huge theft, and the tech companies do not care about the ethics of it.
In 2023, I spoke at a journalism festival. Many tech advocates said newsrooms must use AI or they will fail. They compared it to horse and buggy makers who could not adapt. They did not mention the threat to writers and artists. I was supposed to talk about my art in war zones, but I ended up discussing the crisis for artists today.
I argued that the tech companies want us to accept this change as normal. But nothing is truly normal; it is about power, money, and politics. If we do not have money, we can still speak out. I worked with journalist Marisa Mazria Katz to write an open letter against AI images in newsrooms. It got thousands of signatures from people around the world who agreed with us.
In January 2023, three illustrators filed a lawsuit against major AI companies. They showed that these companies did not respect the rights of artists. This legal fight is still happening, but it shows that artists are becoming aware and resisting.
It is sad that many people who profit from AI do not care about artists. In 2024, Mira Murati from OpenAI said that some creative jobs should not exist. This shows a lack of empathy among tech leaders. They forget that art is not just a product; it is a human activity with emotions and beauty.
As I think about these changes, I feel sad. The illustration industry is weak, and many artists are losing jobs. The chances for new artists to grow are disappearing. We are being replaced by machines that learn from our work, and the quality of their art is often poor. This change is not just about art; it affects our culture and education.
The idea that this change is progress is dangerous. People who support AI say that those who resist are like the Luddites, who fought against machines. But the Luddites were skilled workers trying to protect their jobs. They lost to force, not progress.
Today, artists are fighting for their jobs and for what it means to create. If we do not unite, we will all lose. The effects of AI go beyond art; they affect our culture and mental health. The tech leaders want profit, but they offer a future without real work and community.
In exchange for human experience, we get a world where robots talk to each other. We must take back our stories, rights, and creative spaces. The fight is not over, and we must keep going for our art and humanity.