Today I read the talk “Things as they really are 2.0” by David A. Bednar and I found so many gems. I’ve been thinking a lot about artificial intelligence, how amazing and helpful it is, and what it means for me as an artist.
I used to try to create hyper-realistic drawings. I deeply admired the skill of others who could do it, but oftentimes I’d think to myself, “Why am I spending hours doing something a camera can do in seconds?” I’ve seen some really incredible artwork generated by AI, and I’ve had similar thoughts.
So are artists irrelevant now?
I don’t think so.
AI is a tool. Like a pencil, or camera, or iPad. It takes a creative mind behind the scenes for it to make something worthwhile. I’ve briefly played with generating AI images, and I can tell you it needs a lot of guidance to bring a human vision to life. It needs a very detailed prompt. I can see AI being really useful in generating reference images to use for light and detail studies. I haven’t played with it much yet, but Meta AI generated this cool dragon for me today:
The prompt was, “Imagine a golden dragon flying.” Not bad for such a short prompt. I don’t love it as is, but I could use it to help me figure out the lighting and details for a drawing. Also, why does he have two tails and weird claws?
The Creative Journey
God left the world unfinished for [men and women] to work [their] skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to [us] the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that [we] might know the joys and glories of creation.
Thomas S. Monson
This quote reminded me that when we create things, it isn’t just about the end product. It’s about finding joy in the process. So no, AI doesn’t make creating art the old fashioned way irrelevant. Just like iPads don’t make sketchbooks irrelevant, and cameras don’t make paintings irrelevant. They are different and beautiful and can complement one another.
If you have the time, I really recommend reading the talk I linked above. It’s a faith-centered view on the “limitless perils and untold possibilities” of artificial intelligence.
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