Artificial intelligence paints a mixed picture for artists, musicians and performers.
“What does it mean when AI is trained on the wealth of human-generated creativity, imagery and material? Who benefits? Who profits?” asks Caitlin Foley, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Art & Design.
The training of AI on existing creative works has resulted in copyright infringement lawsuits against AI companies from actors, authors, record labels and The New York Times. For Brandon Vaccaro, associate teaching professor in the Department of Music, AI companies need to address how their software generates content.
“If AI is generating new material that was informed by the intellectual property of others, there needs to be fair compensation to the original creator,” says Vaccaro, coordinator of the Sound Recording Technology program.
With the capabilities of AI evolving rapidly, some artists fear the technology could take over their livelihood. “People aren’t going to want to pay artists to create art when they can just have AI do it,” says Misha Rabinovich, associate professor in the Department of Art & Design.
But Theatre Arts Prof. Shelley Barish argues that creators are essential when it comes to the arts, as AI does not experience emotions as people do. “It’s scary to think that AI could replace the human interpretation,” she says, adding that what it can do is reduce time when used in conjunction with a creator.
For instance, Barish has used AI as part of her design process for theater sets.
“I’ve used AI similarly to how I use Photoshop, where it’s producing something, and then I’m altering that production to be what I want,” she says. “It cuts down on time, and time is money as a theatrical artist.”
Rabinovich agrees that AI can eliminate some of the tedious aspects of creative work, while providing valuable resources to creators who do not have the budget to realize their visions.
“Early-career artists could use AI to generate a film based on a script they wrote, or produce a virtual world based on their drawings,” says Rabinovich, who with Foley is part of the duo Caitlin & Misha; the two have used AI to develop character dialogue in their animation series “Ecology of Worries.”
AI may change the creative process, just as technologies like the phonograph, video and 3D printing have, but Vaccaro doubts it will kill creativity.
“For all those opportunities that may go away because of something like AI, there will be new opportunities,” he says.—BC