The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Today’s World of Art
D’ Shawn L. Polk
IFSM 304 7384 Ethics in Information Technology (2228)
November 29, 2022
Explanation of the Topic:
Artificial intelligence or AI allows machines to learn from experience, adapt to new ideas, and carry out activities like those performed by humans. By automating various physical and other operations, it encompasses all technological domains to simplify and minimize the human strain, which results in better judgments. These jobs can speed up processes and cut down on labor costs. But in certain sectors, like the arts, AI might not be as helpful. Many individuals have positions that encourage authentic human expression and call for innovation; AI removes this notion and replaces the humans who hold those positions. (Colorado State University Global, 2021).
What Are the Ethical Questions?
Is the investment in AI technology worth the high costs for development?
Justification: It is well known that AI is incredibly expensive, often even unaffordable. While AI can create art instantly, the authenticity is lost. True human artists provide a business with the flexibility to exceed company expectations while staying inside budget. Overall, it’s possible that the initial cost of the technology and the yearly maintenance costs for AI machines will be higher than the cost of letting the few remaining human artists utilize their imaginations to create genuine works of art. This question is critical to the ethical issue of the paper because the investment in AI technology overlooks the true human nature of art.
Research: AI has several variables that alter the cost of the technology. A few of those variables are the type of software itself, the complexity, and the amount of data needed for the machine to perform at the wanted level. (Sanyal, 2021). Software must be upgraded over time to keep up with the newest demands as AI is always evolving. Machines require frequent fees for upkeep and repair. Due to the complexity of the devices, their construction is quite expensive. Because AI uses the internet to actively learn new ideas via machine learning, cyber security practices will be required to maintain the security of the data and the developed products produced by a company’s AI machine. Whether that company utilizes outside resources to protect their system or hires IT (Information Technology) or cyber security professionals to do the job, the cost adds up even more. “The cost of implementing complete AI solutions may vary from US$20000 to US$1000000”. (Sanyal, 2021).
Does AI leave room for employment?
Justification: As AI becomes more popular in modern society, employment decreases have been noticed. A lot of processes, whether it be in the medical field having AI robots perform surgeries or having the simple AI technology develop new innovations to improve company processes for performance, were roles filled by human beings. As time moves on, the idea of human interaction will slowly fade away. In the art industry, people already have a difficult time finding employment due to the minimal need for artists.
Research: Because Pixar’s artists create all the animation for their work, the company has few openings to fill. As a factor, artists are so adaptable, therefore it is difficult to scale the number of roles. Along with this, human intervention is decreasing as robots take over most repetitive duties and other jobs, which will significantly impact employment standards. Every company aims to replace the bare minimum of skilled workers with AI robots that are more effective at doing the same tasks. Because AI can be altered to perform tasks specific to the needs of a company through specific software, there may be a day when AI movies will be seen. If this happens, what will artists do to make a living? Art can already be underappreciated by society, excluding some forms of art such as music and movies. The labor market will appear different years from now because of new requirements or common issues arising inside an AI-dominated economy, making it challenging for experts to predict exactly how it will look. “automation and AI will undoubtedly eliminate jobs, as they have already begun to do.” (technology.org, 2022).
Does AI encourage the ethical theory of deontology, particularly in fairness?
Justification: This question is critical to this paper’s ethical issue because AI is known to be used for the advancement in creativity in the world of art. Being that artists still exist and are employed for various reasons, AI may sometime in the future eradicate human employment in that industry, also leading to the lack of human expression.
Research: AI uses large data sets combined with sophisticated algorithms to create systems that can learn from patterns and characteristics in the data they study. Machine learning is a popular AI technique that enables systems, programs, or apps to automatically learn and improve their performance over time, all without having to be explicitly programmed to do so. Because all of this is created by humans, it “can have a built-in bias by those who either intentionally or inadvertently introduce them into the algorithm. If AI algorithms are built with a bias or the data in the training sets, they are given to learn from is biased, they will produce results that are biased.” (Malathkar, 2022). Certain places of employment related to the art industry could use these biases to create their own forms of art. But this would not be fair to people who have a passion and a natural talent in art. Companies will use the excuse that their AI machines will be used to “assist” in the process of creating artwork or bring innovative ideas. But if AI is already creating the art a company is looking for, there would remotely be no reason to have human interference. Because AI is essentially a machine, it lacks human expression, the authenticity of the artwork is depleted. The understanding of the human social construct is also non-existent, leading to a lack of human connection between the viewer and art.
Research Conclusion:
The realm of art has been increasingly impacted by AI in recent years. Nowadays, artificial intelligence can produce lifelike photos, films, and even sculptures. Art produced by artificial intelligence can occasionally be mistaken for human-made work. Some people think artificial intelligence will someday completely supplant human artists. The world’s industrial sectors are using AI technologies to streamline corporate operations and broaden their markets. Even if it is simple to raise concerns about AI and unemployment, the results will be more nuanced than just job losses or changes in industry. For the world of art, a major adjustment to the new art industry will be vital.
Citations
Malathkar, G. (2022, November 29). The Dark Side of Artificial Intelligence Art and its Impacts. Analytics Insight. https://www.analyticsinsight.net/what-are-the-negative-impacts-of-the-dark-side-of-artificial-intelligence-art/
Sanyal, S. (2021, June 9). How much does Artificial Intelligence Cost in 2021? Analytics Insight. https://www.analyticsinsight.net/how-much-does-artificial-intelligence-cost-in-2021/
Colorado State University Global. (2021, August 9). How Does AI Actually Work? https://csuglobal.edu/blog/how-does-ai-actually-work
(2022, October 6). Artificial Intelligence and Unemployment: The Good & Bad. Technology Org. https://www.technology.org/2022/09/17/the-impact-of-artificial-intelligence-on-unemployment/