Raw LLM Responses

I think people recycling the phrase, "...but you could have paid an actual artist to produce this instead of using AI." is tiresome. Frankly there is an entitlement side of art culture that I find odious, and I think that TikTok has really put a bad taste in my mouth with regards to some artists not dealing well with criticism of their business practices. By the same token that you have a right to charge however much you want for your art that you have slaved over, I, the customer, have the right to manage my monetary resources in such a way that I don't blow my bank account on art. I might not be the target of those kinds of videos, but I still feel called out for thinking, "Wow, that's more money than I make in a year. I couldn't afford it if I wanted to." I also recognize that I don't necessarily fall in this demographic as I usually am not out there saying that I could produce the same thing for a third of the price. I know very well that my art has yet to match my intentions, and I am not confident with any of the media I have attempted. So, as someone who is interested in producing an illustrated book, and being financially unable to commission artwork, and not possessing much skill with illustration, and having a fairly high standard for what I want to produce, I felt like the most logical point I end up at is AI art. There really aren't any copyright laws regarding AI in the US, as (from my understanding) it isn't even considered "art" because it is not produced directly by a human being. So I wouldn't have to track anyone down, I would just have to find the right combination of prompts and tweaks, and viola, I have some pictures for my book! I was using Night Cafe to kind of mess around and see what came up, and I noticed that if you pick "Stable Diffusion" and the style of "Artistic Portrait", Greg Rutkowski's name is included in your prompt by default (as well as Artgerm, WLOP, and Alphonse Mucha). I was, obviously, mistaken in my assumption that there was some sort of agreement between Mr. Rutkowski and...someone else. Presumably Stability AI. Knowing almost nothing about the art world beyond occasionally feeling guilty for being poor, or feeling overshadowed, I did some very surface-level research, and it seemed like Mr. Rutkowski was well-regarded, which reinforced my assumptions. Thankfully, I am in perhaps a better place with regards to working on my own artistic abilities; I think finding more encouraging artists making content who aren't just acting like entitled pricks has been very helpful, and I had already largely abandoned the idea I was having of just working the AI until I got a book's worth of images to slap in, press print, and rake in the public indifference. Sam, I find your take on AI art refreshingly mature, reasonable, and balanced. You aren't scared of robots taking over, or acting like a diva, you aren't scared of the technology itself — you are simply asking that your work not be stolen, or used without your permission and/or knowledge. To me, that's kind of a given; no one should have to deal with having their art ripped apart and reassembled in a way they never intended without their consent. It's disrespectful, it's unethical, I'd even go so far as to say it's immoral, but I recognize not everyone might agree there. In any case, thank you for your measured, well-thought-out views on the subject. You have changed my mind on this subject. (As a note, when I say "entitled" I don't mean to imply that any of the art is necessarily "bad". I understand it takes a lot of work to produce art, especially the art in videos I've seen that use "It Costs That Much" by Woah Dude as a sound clip. Also, I understand customers can rankle, and hearing that you are charging too much for your work that you feel deserves it can feel degrading. The attitudes in these videos, however, make me feel like I am not good at producing art, will never be on that level, and if I so much as inquire as to the price, I know I won't be able to afford it, and I will simply be adding to the problem. It's not "for me" and it never will be, unless I give up the possibility of one day owning a better car, or paying for school. Maybe it's not entitlement, just frustration. I don't want to dictate how you, personally express your frustration, but I wanted to express that it has been incredibly toxic for me, and hey, maybe only me.) TL;DR: Good video, Sam; you expressed yourself well, and you have changed my mind regarding the use of AI art in commercial pursuits!