FUCK AI!

HUMAN MADE

Someone on TikTok just called my art ai slop! Was it a hate comment or did they innocently mistake my painting for AI? As surrealist mixed media painter, I knew this fucking day would come. Despite the gazillion art process videos on my page, some doomscroller grazing through their fyp for the next dopamine hit won't click my profile to fact check their statement.

I unironically miss the seemingly harmless Will Smith eating spaghetti era which was unfortunately the dawning of a human essence bastardization era. We are witnessing the mockery of what it means to be human; not just our bodies but our artistry, essence and soul. Watching us consume and sometimes enjoy "art" so void of soul is truly uncanny. What is art if it doesn't remember the artist's hand? What is music that doesn't speak from the soul? What is literature without pondering before articulation? Empty!

One of my favourite art galleries in Seattle just featured an artist the "creates" generative AI prompted "art". This is in the heart of one of the most progressive cities! This is honestly not surprising for a city fueled by performative activism and tech dollars.

My angsty artist feeling aside, that fake woke shit has to stop. How does a city that prides itself advocacy support AI adjacent businesses knowing how data centers art affect communities? According to the World Resources Institute, Data centers require huge amounts of water to keep servers cool enough to function. Mid-sized facilities can use up to 300,000 gallons of water a day, while large facilities can consume as much as 5 million gallons daily — comparable to what a small town uses. Recent estimates project that by 2028, AI-related data centers in the U.S. could require up to 32 billion gallons of water annually. This is enough to support roughly 360,000 households’ indoor water use. This massive demand is a pressing problem for communities already facing drought or depleting water supplies. Not to mention the astronomical amounts electricity used that make electric bills skyrocket for already impoverished communities.

So where does that leave us real artists? I know, I know...circling back to my artist woes after mentioning struggling communities is very first-worldly of me but art, like everything else, art plays a vital role in society. Art is an escape for not just the artists but everyone; the songs that get you through your first heartbreak, a piece of poetry that disects grief that your soul couldn't not articulate, a painting that makes you see beauty in life that oftentimes feels gray. We need art for our souls to survive in this hellscape we call life.

So. Where. Does. That. Leave. Us? I honestly don't know. I don't have the answers, just a paintbrush and the will to create. Many young people pushing back against AI and that keeps my optimism alive. We might just have to wait for the boomers die off and hoping they don't leave behind irreversible damage. For now, play your part by consuming real art and for the love of god, get off chat gpt!