We’ve seen major shifts in technology that have allowed us to do things previous generations could only dream about AI. Most of us walk around with what used to be considered supercomputers in our pockets that allow us to capture high-definition videos, communicate with people worldwide, and gamble on online platforms like casinos.com anywhere and anytime we please. But until recently, we wouldn’t think twice about whether a piece of art, a poem, or even a song was digitally produced by a machine.
- The digitally savvy among us constantly question whether creative works were created by AI.
- And this could be for one of two reasons—that it’s almost too good to be true or that they’re tired of the AI dominance.
- After all, with the creative world being so inherently human, some people don’t think there’s a place for machines, especially to that degree.
While humans tend to be polarizing in their viewpoints, it’s not difficult to take a step back and realize that AI has its merits. It can help when you’re on a time crunch, experiencing a creative block, or simply need help creating something at a high level. On the other hand, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. AI is notorious for—unsurprisingly—sounding and behaving like a robot, which has become easy to spot. Whether it’s seven-fingered humans or using the phrase “cutting-edge” one too many times, our digital world has become oversaturated with these outputs.
So, what are the downsides of using AI for all things creative?
Lack of Depth and Authenticity
AI is much shallower than humans. It relies solely on the data it’s trained on and can learn from human input, which can be positive or negative. While it adapts to user preferences, it can also reinforce human biases and spread misinformation. In contrast, humans have a lot of depth to them. We all have our own lived experiences, perceptions, emotions, imaginations, and cultural backgrounds, which manifest differently in art, music, and writing. This is exactly what makes art, art. There’s a wild creativity to it that is unmatched by machines, and we can slowly lose those qualities if we over-rely on AI.
Plagiarism and Ethical Issues
One of the biggest hot-button topics in the past few years is the ethics of using AI. It’s been brought up in the workplace, at schools, and even in discussions about certain artists. On one hand, AI can unintentionally copy art from existing artists or replicate ideas or lines of text, which can lead to plagiarism being detected. Since originality is so important in creative and academic spheres, it can become a real challenge. Are people really being creative, or are they ripping off other people’s work? Are students really learning, or are they just using AI to breeze through projects? Not only does this diminish the quality of the work, but it also undermines its authenticity. Students aren’t developing critical thinking skills, and individuals are becoming more detached from their work.
Overreliance and Loss of Creativity
AI is brilliant when you’re stuck in a rut and need inspiration or ideas. But when you’re relying on it like an assistant that is doing much more than their job description, you end up losing your voice and could produce completely unoriginal work. As mentioned, AI outputs have a significant homogeneity, with the same old phrasing and sentence structure being used or surreal imagery or hyper-realistic image styles.
We essentially lose the nuance and human experience that come with real human work when we over-rely on AI and stunt our own creativity in the process. While AI is especially useful for mundane, repetitive tasks, what it can’t do to perfection is provide a personal touch or mimic the subtleties of human creation.
Loss of Respect for Creative Professions
Why hire a writer if AI can do the work for you? Or why bother spending thousands of dollars on original digital artwork if AI can simply generate one at will within seconds? While those in creative fields know very well that AI could never replicate a human writer’s or artist’s work, those on the outside looking in might have a different perspective. For some, it seems like the more AI is perceived to be able to do, the more human talent is devalued. Some people may have a lesser appreciation for the creative process and see AI as a much cheaper way to get tasks done. For example, a company might simply have someone in a non-creative role generate an AI video ad or several AI blog posts rather than hire a professional. While this may seem more cost-effective and faster in the short term, in the blog example, you lose out on the writing and SEO skills a content writer has developed and likely reap fewer desirable results.
Built-In Biases
Although originality is usually the main concern when it comes to AI-generated creative work, there’s another unfortunate beast we have to worry about: bias. Biases in AI can range from silly to harmful, but they’re frustrating either way.
- With AI trained on data, the data it uses may already have inherent biases.
- Maybe the writing featured a biased perspective on whether dogs are better than cats.
- in a worst-case scenario, a reinforcement of certain racial or gender stereotypes.
- Companies or students using certain AI tools who don’t spot the biases could end up facing serious consequences, especially in a world where people are held more accountable than ever before.
- In the creative field specifically, training data could favour certain themes or genres and produce work that is limited and doesn’t reflect the artistic expression the creator wants.
When AI goes beyond idea generation and takes on too much of the creative process, it risks losing the heart and soul that make creativity so beautifully human.