There is an ancient Chinese proverb 飲水思源, which translates to “as you drink water, contemplate its source.” A modern-day equivalent may be “as you generate A.I. content, contemplate its source.”

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The fact that A.I. can generate art and writing is nothing short of magical. If I were able to travel back in time to the Renaissance period and create works of art and literature using A.I., I would most likely be burned at the stake for my unnatural abilities.

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But on second thought, perhaps I would not be burned at the stake. With limited art from which the A.I. machine could learn, it would not be able to generate anything fantastical. After all, A.I. content generators are magical solely because of the sources from which they are learning. The sources of A.I.’s magic? The works of countless authors and illustrators.

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To err is human…

Like most people, I am guilty of not contemplating the sources of many of the things I enjoy in

my daily life – running water, a good book, images that appear like magic when I type texts into

a prompter…

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Being technologically challenged, I was ecstatic when I recently created my website.  It did not

look weird, it had multiple web pages that linked correctly, and it had many beautiful images.

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I could not wait to show my website to my daughters!

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​​“Oh,” was their initial response.  The follow-up to “Oh” was a devastating question: “If you’re against A.I. using the works of authors to train their algorithms without the authors’ permission, why is there a difference when it’s used for illustrations?”

 

A.I. companies stealing the magic of authors and illustrators

I am not against the use of A.I. per se. I am against A.I. companies using the works of authors and illustrators without permission or compensation. As creatives, we attend writing and drawing classes to learn new skills and improve our crafts. In return, we pay tuition to instructors for their guidance, which can sometimes be waived for those who face financial difficulties.

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OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT, is valued at approximately $80 billion based on a deal with venture firm, Thrive Capital, in February 2024. To put this figure in perspective, this valuation would place OpenAI as the third highest-valued tech start-up in the world. Doesn’t it seem odd that OpenAI gets its tuition waived?

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The sources of A.I.’s magic should work together to fight back

Authors and illustrators work closely together to create a unique piece of art that impacts a reader’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. We should also work together to address challenges posed by A.I. After all, together, we are the sources of A.I.’s magic.

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There are many ways that creators can work together to address these challenges. The first is the easiest but also the hardest to do. Authors and illustrators can simply do what we have always done – work together to create content without the use of A.I. This collaboration may include authors hiring illustrators to create images, and illustrators hiring writers to create written content, on our respective websites. I recognize that this is hard to do when we can easily create A.I. generated content for free. However, as artists, many of us have already made significant sacrifices for our art. Can’t we spare a bit more to support one another?

 

The second solution is to educate the public on the inequity caused by A.I. We may not agree with each other as to whether wealth distribution is a desirable public policy. However, it should be noted that all democratic societies have some form of wealth distribution through tax laws, social support systems, and other means – the only difference is the extent of that wealth distribution. In any case, I think we can all agree that reversed wealth distribution by transferring wealth from those in need to the well-off is not desirable. By allowing A.I. to learn from the works of authors and illustrators without compensation, we are, in effect, forcing creators to contribute to the A.I. companies’ CEOs’ massive salaries and stock options, and shareholders’ profits.

 

As artists, we are in a unique position to make our voices heard. Many of us have speaking engagement opportunities, followers on social media, and other communication vehicles. Make your position on A.I. companies’ fair compensation to authors, illustrators, and others known.

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To forgive is divine…

I hope illustrators can forgive my use of A.I. images on my previous website. To support illustrators, I have updated my website with illustrations from daughters, Ashlynn and Victoria, two aspiring artists based in Toronto.

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​​​Your Thoughts on A.I.
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