I don’t really have anything against AI art, MidJourney, StableDiffusion etc
But it’s pissing me off more than a little bit how so many people post AI art claiming it’s art photography.
I see a ton of it on Flickr. Average and mediocre photographers suddenly from 2022 onward start posting these wonderful images with flawless colorwork and super cool black and whites. Labeled as photography. But then you zoom in and realize… oh right. It’s AI. And this guy is a fraud. Damn.
Again, I have nothing against the thing in itself. But claiming it’s photography is fraudulent. And it’s super scifi nightmarish to have to constantly be on the lookout for what might be real photos and what’s AI. And worst of all, very shortly we won’t be able to tell at all.
What if I really just want to admire photography? Why don’t these platforms do something about this shit?
Anyway… would love to hear your thoughts about that. Cheers.
The problem is fraud, not AI. It’s the same as trying to pass off someone else’s work as your own, fraud!
Sure, but this particular manifestation of that sort of fraud has its own character, needs its own responses and is worth its own discussion.
I’ve seen some promising developments around tools to poison AI datasets if they vacuum up the work without the permission of the original artist, but it’s a bit of a shame if we fall into a pattern of a combative arms race being the only thing that will realistically prompt any sort of change in approach by the owners and developers of the software.
AI is just another tool, it can be misused. AI can also open up new avenues for creativity. People/artists need to be honest, if you use AI, state it, better yet lean into it, make it part of the concept, part of your artist statement!
“I told a computer to make something” isn’t much of an artist’s statement!
But they’re the one to type the prompt in to the generator /s