An Insult to Life
By Stephanie Zhang
Entertainment Editor
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the entertainment industry is facing great changes. At crossroads between AI generated content and human made works, the creative world is gearing up for this disruption that nor only affects fine arts, but also the animation, film and game industries in many ways.
In the latest social media trends, there’s even been the popular use of this one filter that turns photos into Studio Ghibli style art. But the catch? It’s AI; just pop in a picture into an online generator and voilà…! It’s nice, quick and easy…But is it ethical? For computers to spit out soulless versions of “art” ? Even Hayao Miyazaki, the legend himself, stated back in 2016 that he “[…] strongly feel[s] that [AI animation] is an insult to life itself.”
Yes, AI makes aesthetic stuff. But above all, it’s disrespectful. To Miyazaki’s legacy and the countless blood, sweat, and tears of other artists. AI comes with both pros and cons; it can have features contributing to work -flow, data processing and personalized content, but on the downside, there are copyright issues that arise. The rights of creatives remains a matter of concern. AI can’t be a substitute for the innovative and skillful abilities of artists, can it?
It’s fair to say that advancements in AI open up much broader discussions on how technology is transforming artistic domains. One thing that remains certain is the essence and vulnerability of an artist, who creates, to express feelings, tell stories, and to denounce, and share things. Critical things, silly things. And, at the end of the day, AI can’t embody these experiences the same way humans do, right?