It’s finally here, artificial intelligence is here and it’s changing the world by introducing amazing new tools. From IBM Watson, the cognitive computing system that can analyze and learn from massive setts of data to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa that have become a commonplace tool in many peoples’ lives.

One new class of A.I that is causing massive disruptions are the A.I suits that utilize human made artistic works to generate novel artistic creations. Such as MidJourney which uses a vast library of pieces of imagery to create unbelievably beautiful pieces of computer rendered art. Or ChatGPT, a language learning model that has become so proficient that it is displacing copywriters and novelists all over the world.

Which brings us to the root of the problem of AI. and that is economics; or specifically technological unemployment within a capitalist economy that demands exceeding amounts of purchasing power year after year.

Artist that rely on their art creations or artistic skills, such as writers, voice actors, musicians, graphic designers and even programmers are losing their livelihoods and their primary sources of income thanks to the efficacy of this new technology and we are now facing an interesting crisis both in terms of economics and our social wellbeing.

What will the world look like when all the original creators of art are out of the job and no longer performing? What will the world look like when only hobbyists can perform their art because nobody can dedicate a career to it? And what will become of the artists currently living who will possibly be displaced?

The capitalist economic model relies on continued consumption and growth in order to function. And so people living in this economy must maintain purchasing power in order to survive, the less purchasing power the harder it is to survive. There is no room for remorse, its a cut throat mechanical system where you have to keep on selling a product or service in order to eat and sleep.

If the time and labor of artists is supplanted with AI, Artists will have to fall into the ever expanding ranks of the barely employed gig workers of society or to subsist on the fringes. The socioeconomic standing of every artists who is not already successful in their field will plummet and nobody will ever want to pursue art as a career. (it already is a financially unrewarding path)

This is a hard problem, and it doesn’t have an answer that gives artists economic security. No matter how you review this issue, the root cause of the problem is economic structure. The economics of capitalism simply won’t reward artists and programmers when a non-living purchasable thing can do their job faster and better (better in the case of computer programers, art is subjective) and for a tiny operating cost.

So human beings are simply going to adapt to A.I or risk despairing the same way the elevator operator and the milkman disappeared from economic existence. This means incorporating A.I and finding ways to take advantage of it to enhance your art.

According to chatGPT when I asked in to answer (from the perspective of an AI language learning model) what should artists do to cope and adapt to this technology:

It tells us to focus on creativity and uniqueness. Because “While AI can generate art, it cannot replicate the human experience or the unique perspective of an individual artist” So while human beings still have some advantage over AI, it is in our ability to imagine new ideas and we should capitalize on that while we can, before models become so advanced that algorithms can fully automate human creativity itself.

A.I is here to stay, so the best we can do is adapt to it and incorporate it as best as we can. The objective we should all have now, (regardless of whether we are artists or not) is to push for economic reform that aims at these issues. Because we can’t and shouldn’t try to stop technological progress. Instead, we should aim at creating economic systems that allow people to use A.I to advance society in ways that don’t automate humans out of existence.

There are countless ways of using A.I for pro-social advantages. whether it is in agriculture, healthcare or the sciences.

For example, A.I can help to create precision agriculture systems that can optimize crop yields and automate harvesting and other monotonous and labor intensive tasks. Helping to free humanity to focus on higher objectives that can’t be easily automated; jobs that require a special human touch and mental capital.

Such a world is possible, where our relationship with A.I is one of positive symbiosis and productivity. Sadly, due to the lackluster and un-economizing nature of the capitalist system. Efficiency only serves to increase unemployment and create new jobs in different sectors. Of course the mount of jobs that will be created will not replace the ones lost and will demand special training. Meaning they will not be an answer to the issue of lost jobs and purchasing ability.

Ultimately something will have to be done on the economic front to create a solution for the unemployed, but for now the fight will be focused on the surface level problem of plagiarism since the issue of economic-restructuring is a mountainous issue that many people, politicians and regulars alike, are very much afraid to address.