In a post-scarcity solarpunk future, I could imagine some reasonable uses, but that’s not the world we’re living in yet.
AI art has already poisoned the creative environment. I commissioned an artist for my latest solarpunk novel, and they used AI without telling me. I had to scrap that illustration. Then the next person I tried to hire claimed they could do the work without AI but in fact they could not.
All that is to say, fuck generative AI and fuck capitalism!
It also makes a way for the poor to be able to afford to get art to make comics and other things when they otherwise would have been unable to hire artists. Generative ai also allows poor people to write code they couldn't before because they couldn't afford the help. It also gives poor people the ability to brainstorm new ideas when they can't afford a team of consultants.
It helps the poor, just like search engines and the internet. There were people back in those days scared of change as well. Gen ai is a huge equalizer or wealth and power. The vast majority of people using Gen Ai are using it for things that they never would have considered being able to hire someone to do anyway.
@AIhasUse Generative AI isn't the equalizer, it's *free (as in freedom) and open source* Gen AI that's the equalizer.
If we only allow corporations to use creative works for profit without allowing the model to be used and even reshaped by the same artists freely, then we just shift more power to the wealthy.
If we *force* them to distribute it publicly to everyone, then it just opens up more opportunity for creative expression, whether new, or an expansion of existing artist's capabilities.