We were promised that AI would be used to help artists and give them more free time to pursue their true passion. And, of course, when it comes down to it, what it has actually done is allow companies to directly do without them. Why hire someone who takes twenty days to make a poster, when the machine can do it in twenty seconds? Yes, the characters have six fingers, the background is blurry, and there are a couple of obvious plagiarisms, but who cares when speed is valued in capitalism.
And now, videos
Yesterday’s surprise was that, in addition to copied images and infamously bland text, AI can now also create videos. But not just any videos: as we have seen, and at least for now, what it creates is simple and plain content. The kind you can watch while scrolling through your phone, perfect for doing the dishes, ideal for not paying the slightest attention. Just like our parents had ‘Sálvame’, you know. Videos without any intentionality for techies with pretensions who ignore the art of creation, well, simple and plain content.
And the content itself is not bad at all. Every year, we consume hundreds and hundreds of hours of mindless entertainment that doesn’t contribute anything. Series, movies, video games, comics, and disposable books constantly pile up on our to-do lists for our leisure time. What we should consider is whether we really want more content continuously, like an infinite tap of sequels created by a machine.
It’s not that science fiction writers haven’t been warning us for decades that leaving our leisure and our destiny in the hands of machines was a bad idea. And yet, when the opportunity has arrived, there are not a few who have already discarded human authors to embrace the infinite mediocrity of AI, which, in turn, would be nothing without human ingenuity. A faded photocopy without grace, genius or art.
Regulations will come, of course. And price increases from AI companies. And some country that skips the paperwork and offers millions of mediocrities at zero cost, like a continuous executor of videos of YouTube of dancing babies. Infinite videos based on something created by the human hand that they are only capable of copying, but never of convincing or proposing interesting twists. Pure content to have in the background while you look at the latest meme on Twitter.
And what will happen when generative AI in video improves its quality and can be presented as evidence in trials? How will we distinguish reality from fiction? Yes, technologically it is an incredible achievement. Ethically, not so much. Whether we like it or not, whether they call us “Luddites” or not, we urgently need to set limits before living in a continuous state of paranoia where AI further muddies the waters we are already in. The consequences can be devastating. And no, you are not exempt from them.
