GenAI creators are unhuman
unhuman (adj.): not resembling or having the qualities of a human being.
I like buffets. I mix and match dishes that other people make. I make sure the sauce from one dish seeps into the rice. I let the chaat and samosas touch. I curate my plate perfectly. I have never looked at it and thought I was a chef.
I don't think people who make generative AI media are inhuman—a word often associated with cruelty, sadism, or intense apathy. I resent them for making the em dash look bad, but that word is still far too harsh. They might be compassionate and caring people. But they lack something that makes them human.
I understand the avaricious motivations. I struggle with the rest. They spend twelve seconds typing a prompt, and within a minute, they have twenty images. Which part gives them joy? When do they feel good? Do they treat it like a slot machine and feel rewarded when they get an image that doesn't look like pure slop? At least at a buffet, I get to appreciate the work of others. I understand the chef's intentions, even if there's some bastardization on my end.
Knowing that people use generative AI for concept art makes me queasy. I'd much rather have them use it for rendering. Larian Studios is using genAI at least "the same as they would use photos." I want them to go to a museum. A park. A library. Look at the sunset. Swing on the swings for a bit. Use Oblique Strategies. Shake a Magic 8 Ball. Relying on AI for concepts is as unhuman as it gets.
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"I'm not 100% sure you're actually seeing speed-ups... I don't actually think it accelerates things."
Swen Vincke, founder of Larian Studios and advocate for genAI, on genAI.
Generative AI will degrade the quality of the next Divinity game. I don't know if anyone will notice, including myself. It might be small. An employee who works with ChatGPT placeholder text instead of lorem ipsum will have their writing process affected. I assume something in the brain breaks if a person were to look at AI distortions of Magic: The Gathering cards for hours every day. I wouldn't be surprised if Larian is rewarded for their honesty when they own up to letting 'placeholder' AI assets slip in.
I don't fully grasp my own feelings on the topic. Maybe I have these beliefs because they make me feel good about myself. I can't be the worst person possible because they exist. I care about the environment more, appreciate art more, and am more human than they are.
