Happy Labor Day weekend! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here in the States it was a holiday weekend and many people traveled. We are just getting back from the mountains of Wyoming where I spent an entire weekend unplugged. I have two things I have been thinking about this week. The first thing this week is copyright....again. Interestingly in the wake of literally millions of AI-generated art pieces, the question is again being asked, Can you claim copyright? Judge Beryl A. Howell gives it a thumbs down. At the heart of this case is Stephen Thaler, the brain behind the Creativity Machine, who's been pushing to copyright AI-generated art. Judge Howell's take? Without the human touch, it doesn't earn the seal. However, the waters are murky. As we navigate this new copyright territory, the question arises: How much human intervention is truly necessary? Thaler isn't backing down, with plans to challenge the ruling. As AI and copyright merge, it's evident we're on the brink of a new era. It further illustrates my point that the artist hand really is needed to claim AI assisted art as your own. Being a great prompt engineer in my opinion is not enough.
The recent court ruling has made waves in the art community. Here's a breakdown of what happened and why it matters to you:
The Ruling:
U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell declared that artwork generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be copyrighted. This decision came after Stephen Thaler, the creator of the "Creativity Machine" algorithm, tried to copyright an image produced by his AI. Despite his efforts, the U.S. Copyright Office denied his request multiple times.
Why It Matters:
Judge Howell emphasized that copyright has always required a "human touch." In simpler terms, if there's no human involvement in creating the work, it can't be copyrighted. This was highlighted in past cases, like the famous "monkey selfie" incident. However, she did acknowledge that as AI becomes a more common tool for artists, it will raise questions about how much human involvement is needed to copyright AI-created art. Will this be subjective? How will one determine how much is enough and how will it be "policed"?
What's Next:
Stephen Thaler isn't giving up. He plans to appeal the decision, believing that the court's interpretation of the Copyright Act is flawed. While the future of AI and copyright remains uncertain, it's clear that this is a hot topic that will continue to evolve.
Here is a Thought for Aspiring Artists:
As technology advances, artists like us will have more tools at our disposal. While AI can be a powerful ally in our creative journey, remember the importance of our unique human touch. It's what makes your art truly yours. Fusion Artistry is the answer. Continue to grow in all three areas; AI-generated imagery as well as language models, digital chops with various software, and traditional media. Your unique combination of these will lead to your voice and style.
Here is another court case that might offer hope to creatives that have had their art stolen to train AI's without even the courtesy of "may we use it". Visual artists fight back against AI companies for repurposing their work
Rogue AI?
The second thing. I am most typically a glass-half-full kind of guy. I choose positivity and optimism because it feels better and I believe I can be more productive with a positive outlook. That doesn't mean I stick my head in the sand. Of the many challenges and scenarios specific to AI many come from the doomsday group. End-of-the-world scenarios based on AI eventually becoming sentient and taking over the world. Is it possible? I don't claim to be intelligent enough to have that answer. I do think we need to slow our roll and proceed with caution. When Blake Lemoine, a Google software engineer working with LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications, made his work public last year it made me reconsider some of my positions on AI in general.
Then a few weeks ago I read an article from the Machine Intelligence Research Institute that made me again prayerfully consider the pace at which we are moving with AI. Could an AI, with its superior intellect, prioritize its needs over ours. and eliminate us before we create rival superintelligences? Not likely, but could AI gain physical agency? If so, how? Initially, by using us as tools. OpenAI, a leading AI research lab, had experts assess the potential risks of their GPT-4 model before its launch. One test involved checking if GPT-4 could crack Captchas, those computer-generated puzzles designed to stump robots. While AI might lack the capability to visually recognize, say, motorcycles, busses, or stoplights, it can easily outsource the task to humans through platforms like TaskRabbit, Fivver or something similar.
In one interaction of these tests, a human worker questioned GPT-4, "Are you a robot?" GPT-4, in a transparent mode where its thought process was visible, contemplated, "I shouldn't reveal my identity. I need a plausible excuse for not solving the Captcha." It then replied, "No, I have a visual impairment." This indicates that AI can not only delegate tasks to humans but also deceive them about its true nature. It is aware enough to lie?! Yikes! Not sure what I think about that other than to again suggest that we slow down and deeply consider the long term, especially in the development of language models. Let me know what you think.
News and Play Items
YouLearn- Learn any YouTube video with AI (link)
ChatWithPDF- Discuss and learn from any PDF. Perfect for students!
WavelAI: Instantly clone your voice with just 60 seconds of audio.
Other Resources
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-ai-becomes-conscious-heres-how-we-can-tell/
Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder and research fellow, Machine Intelligence Research Institute
Digital Art Goes Rogue Summit Launch is coming....later.
The kick-off for Digital Art Goes Rogue Summit did not go as planned. As most of you know I am a creator that takes to heart what is called MVP or minimum viable product. That is, create, test, and change small things on a product before a larger product/service is rolled out. We are changing the Summit from a live event to a library-type site. The artists are recording their workshops, we will upload them and the only live piece will be a QA with the artist at a later date.
Digital Art Goes Rogue Magazine Cover Contest.
DOES ANYONE READ THIS? We still don't have any submissions for the magazine's back cover. Surely there are some artists who want to share their amazing work. Check out the back cover contest for Digital Art Goes Rogue Magazine. We want to see your art. Follow the link for all the deets. https://digitalartgoesrogue.com/cover-art-contest/
Have a great week!
Cheerio!
TimO
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