AI or The Performing Elephant.

 I have heard so much about AI and how it will have an effect on art and illustration. Like every technology that will invariably be true. When I started in college computers were just beginning to be used to create art. In the hands of a skilled artist there were some very impressive results. Some not so much but their value was that they were made in the early days of computer art. Strangely, people considered it somehow "less-than"  because it was made on a computer but impressive for what it could do. 

A person I met who used a very early terrain program once told me computers were the future of art. He proceeded to set the terrain change and angle and let the image start rendering.

"It'll be done in 30-45 minutes." he said." 

To me, it seemed he was missing the whole point of creating art. It's an activity as much as it is a result. I couldn't see how programming software and waiting, like downloading a picture on Compuserve, could be any fun.

I kind of feel that is how AI will ultimately be incorporated into the world of art. It will be integrated into our every-day lives. But right nowadays, its results seem a lot like the early digital art steps. our eyes just can't see it very well.

Yes, people will loose jobs and others will find new ways to use the tech. What I think will never disappear is the loss of artistic creation. It is a deep part of human nature. The desire to create for financial gain is always going to demand faster and faster ways to a product. 

I'm trying not to loose my mind over the influx of AI art. Not easy, but worth the sanity.