The Why…

Background First:

In college before I could move on in my degree field: Scriptwriting & Filmmaking I had to take a year studying “the fine arts.

My pick of what I thought was “fine” or not. I choose: Analytic Cubism/Art Nouveau first semester…

…the second semester went with Surrealism.

For some folks out there those last two sentences may explain a lot.

It was part of the curriculum with the thought being that a taste of creativity NOT within your field of study would round you out, would give you a global sense of stuff, and possibly stick with you and your work when you picked up a camera and looked through the lens, or started pounding the keys on your next story/script. I can take pictures and I can write stories, but I can’t paint or illustrate a lick.

In my mind I also thought of myself as one dimensional, I can paint with words but can’t do shit with a paint brush.

And now comes this thing called Artificial Intelligence, what I write next is important and please think about it: Suddenly I can write some words and some gizmo somewhere takes the short words, short sentences, I write and somehow turns those words into the picture I have in my head.

I have finally after 40 years of writing to pictures I see in my head now see those pics on my screen.

I can’t tell you how I felt the first time that happened, I just sat and stared, just sat and stared. Now my words combined with the pictures in my head, are all mine.

I don’t do this to take anything away from those who can paint, draw or illustrate, in fact their ability to do that wows and amazes me…true, true talent they have and while I don’t see A/I being an issue talent-wise against the artist, I do see it to be an issue money wise for those who paint, draw, illustrate.

Artificial Intelligence comes not just for those who bring canvas alive, it too comes for those who write and I’m sure will affect many.

To be honest as a writer I don’t give a shit about what A/I can and can’t do with words, I’ll do my thing, will adjust some, not much. I just don’t care.

To those who oppose A/I, I understand and can see how in the wrong hands it could be a problem.

About the money aspects, free market competition, as it is in any other business, will hurt some, will help some, the creative arts, no matter what kind of art, shouldn’t be immune from the ups and downs that affect so many others in so many other types of commerce.