Why is AI so controversial?
AI has been in the news a lot these days. At first, people were excited by all AI could do like write a poem or make up a joke in a matter of seconds or create an award-winning piece of artwork or photography. Some writers were excited because AI could come up with a fully developed character and make illustrations of them.
Then the concerns began coming in. Would Al take jobs away from writers, artists, musicians, and other types of workers? What is the impact of AI not being able to discriminate what is real from what is a conspiracy theory or an extreme point of view? What are the privacy concerns and ethical dilemmas?
Now there are lawsuits and petitions against the creators of AI for violating copyright laws.
All these things aside, what is the difference between an AI-produced creation and a human-produced creation? Is there a difference?
I think there is. Creative people paint, write and produce music from something inside them. A need to express themselves, to communicate, to share the beauty (or horrors) they see in the world, to understand the meaning of life, and to share what they’ve discovered or learned.
A creative idea can come from a dream, meditation, inspiration, or a childhood fantasy. J K Rowling said the idea for Harry Potter “fell into her head” while riding a train. Some of Stephen King’s ideas were inspired by nightmares. My own first book came from a series of dreams. A creative person may have worked on their books for years like J. R. R. Tolkien when writing Lord of the Rings.
People draw on their experiences to write a book or do other forms of artwork. AI doesn’t have original thoughts or emotions. It can’t transcend this world and rise above human consciousness. It doesn’t have a higher consciousness or soul.
In the science fiction world, writers have been exploring the idea of advanced computers for years. I, robot was a group of stories about robots by Isaac Asimov published in 1950. 2001: A Space Odyssey was a 1968 movie about a ship’s computer malfunctioning and working against the astronauts. In 1977 Star Wars came out with two beloved droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Many more movies and books have come out with robots, droids, and AI since then.
What do you think of AI? Are the benefits to society greater than the risks? Have you used one of the AI programs? If so what did you think of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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