AI in Art Needs Shutting Down!

Where to start with this?

As we move inevitably closer to a Skynet takeover, AI seems to have chosen the arts as its first target. With just a few prompts, AI image generators can produce what would take a graphic designer days to emulate. We are seeing almost movie quality visual effects produced in minutes instead of months of hard work from VFX artists. It can write poetry, create stories, and even produce music.

Well, this all sounds great right? Not for the people whose job these programs are taking. As an indie author I can complete my manuscript and have AI edit it for me, produce the front cover and write the blurb. As a typically poor indie-author, I can see the allure. But for me it is morally unacceptable. Because out there is someone in the same position as me, just trying to make a career for themselves, who is being overlooked for a role because AI can do it cheaper. It’s a slippery slope.

Not all AI is bad. I can understand its use in the wider world. AI systems that can analyse medical reports, or scan x-rays for tumours - that sounds like a fantastic idea! Recently AI was used to rule a goal out scored against my football side Liverpool, which I was very happy about. There are real world applications where of course AI can be helpful, but it shouldn’t EVER have a place in the creative world.

If indie authors start turning to AI to do the work for them, what is stopping artists from doing the same. Imagine a world where cover design artists use AI to write 60k word novel, so they can showcase their artwork on the front cover. It sounds grotesque right? Because it is. I saw a X post recently that said “An indie author has used AI to narrate their audio book. I’m usually against AI but want to give this author a chance. Should I support indie narrators or support the indie author”. The answer is both, but the only way to do that is by not purchasing the audio book. If you want to support that author, buy their ebook, or paperback if they have one. They can use the royalties to pay a narrator to do their audio book. But making exceptions for AI use, especially when you normally take a stance against is, is opening the door for more AI use in the future. It won’t take long before all indie authors are saying “well he used AI, and he is selling lots of books, why shouldn’t I”.

I don’t even like what AI comes up with. Try putting a paragraph of your book through ChatGPT and watch it suck the life out of your words. Okay it might be grammatically perfect and has thoroughly used its built-in thesaurus, but there is no feel to it, no emotion. Same with the artwork. It might get pretty close to what you were looking for, but its lifeless, like the wax figures in Madame Tussauds, the eyes are dead.

It’s important to reflect on why we started self-publishing in the first place. Full disclosure, I went down the traditional publishing route first, like many indie authors, but I found it to be a ruthless, desolate place. Self-publishing gives us the opportunity to write what we want, to appeal to an audience of our choosing, not pander to “romantasy” fads. (Not hating on romantasy, in a couple of years it will something else that publishers only want to see books on). We are trying to create a landscape of our own not ruled the BIG 5, a landscape that includes indie artists, voice actors and editors.

The truth is we need one another. In the ocean there is a creature called a siphonophores. It is actually a collection of tiny creatures, that on their own wouldn’t survive, but together, thrive. One of the creatures catches the food, the other digests the food, one is the eyes and ears, one the arms and legs. Indie creators are our own siphonophores. We need each other. One writes the books, the other designs the cover, one edits, the other narrates it for audio. If just one part of that fails, we all do.

So, as you come to the end of your writing process and think should I hire a cover design artist or simply ask AI to do it, remember that in the near future there will be a time when readers will have that same option. Should I buy this indie author work or simply ask AI to write me a story. The more exceptions we make for things like audio book narrations, the more we embolden AI use in art, and in the end, it will be to all our detriment. There are affordable editors out there who will proof read your manuscript. There are affordable cover design artists, some with pre-made covers that are even cheaper that still look great. You want your book in audiobook form, save for it, ask your partner or parents for it as a Christmas gift. Don’t give the job to the computer, it wont even thank you for it.

Let’s link up with artists and creators and hit control, alt, delete on AI, because it won’t be long before the AI virus infects indie authors too.