AI can’t generate an artist’s soulful connection to the audience

By: J.A. Aleman

AI is still a big topic in today’s world in many fields, such as science, environment, production and perhaps the biggest question mark is its implications on the arts. 

I have spoken in the past about AI and am not a supporter when it comes to language models being used for creating. What I am a proponent of is language models being used for what they are, a technological tool. 

When people begin to skip the creative process, it is more damaging to the human soul because you don’t learn anything or grow. This means that the human condition is not experienced, but merely simulated, meaning that it’s not real. 

With any discipline there comes the time when a person learns foundational traits and trains to understand, master, and perfect the craft and even find their own voice to share the experience. 

Take for example how we learn math. We learn the numbers first, then we learn to add, then subtract, multiply and then finally divide before moving up to even more complex equations and methods. If we were to skip any of these steps, we can’t say we understand math. We can only say we are aware of its use. 

In the same way, we can’t go to the gym and lift weights in the place of someone else. If you want to lose weight or get fit, you have to put in the work yourself. 

This is the process with anything and anyone who has worked at getting better at something can tell you they wouldn’t change a thing about the process. 

When I went to Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), held at the Seattle Convention Center in mid-March, I was able to catch up with many comic book artists and fans to get their take and they were not short of words.  

This to me was refreshing because the love of art comes from the understanding that it comes from another person who is part of the human condition. 

“I don’t want AI doing our stories because they’re human stories,” said Sean Schemmel, known for voicing Goku in the Dragonball Z franchise as a panelist at ECCC. “It goes back to a man, a pen, and a great imagination. I owe everything to these guys.” 

Schemmel was moved to tears as he spoke about his experience of voicing a character for 26 years and the process of getting things right while recording and the pride any actor can have when they bring a character to life. 

Whether it generates voice, art, or video, AI can’t ever bring a story or a character to life. 

ECCC had a panel called “AI ethics in comics” where their official stance was that any sale of material or work which has been produced by tracing or using AI was strictly prohibited. The announcement was received with cheers and applause from a packed room of people wanting to understand if the arts were in danger. 

“It’ll never be able to look at a culture and create a counterculture. New generations taking what was being done before and flipping it on its head. You’ll never get a new thing out of it. No matter how many fingers it accurately puts on a hand,” said Gavin Guidry, comic artist for Marvel and DC. 

This, however, never really stops big companies from trying to make a dollar from cheap labor. The reality is that AI can make certain processes quicker, but that doesn’t mean it’s creative. For those that say a person is telling AI what to do, though that is true, the fact remains that they are stealing from artists who have labored over a body of work. 

The real question is what legal protection do any creatives really have? 

Both Congress and the House of Representatives have heard the outcry of creatives when it comes to their work being used to train AI models without their permission or compensation. This isn’t about stopping the development of AI, but it is about making sure these developers don’t cut corners for the sake of advancement and portray AI as something that it isn’t. 

In April 2024 the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act was introduced by Cal. Rep. Adam Schiff to Congress, which would require any AI developers to identify and submit to the U.S. Copyright office the works used in building systems and for other purposes. This has not yet been made a law in California. 

This would mean that anyone wanting to create a language model has to keep track of where any information gathered and generated by AI comes from. In this way, it will protect creatives by giving them a chance to get compensated if they want to. 

It is only right to place the burden of transparency on AI developers rather than on creators. However, as of now, there is no legal protection for artists. 

The fact of the matter is companies are still going to find a way of trying to use AI. They really, really want to get around paying. In the meantime, what can be done? 

“Being in art, I think we’re starting to draw the line that we are not going to use AI because it is unethical to us,” said Melissa Capriglione, comic book artist as a panelist at ECCC in response to a question about companies wanting to use AI. 

The ultimate protection will always be the fans. Without them, there is no need for the product. When we buy and consume games, comics, anime, books or any other type of art media, people are the last line of defense. 

This defense only crumbles when the consumer begins to buy AI works. This will tell big companies that the fans no longer care who or what makes the art we consume. 

At Comic Con, I was able to see real artists and speak with them, and speak with fans like myself. The one thing I saw we all had in common was that we want to meet the person behind a work of art that we love and that resonates with us. 

“I do not think it’s even close to producing an award-winning comic that can connect with an audience. I do feel it’s only a matter of time before people see what AI really looks like and they’re going to start rejecting it,” said George Vega, comic book artist for Marvel and DC. 

I agree with Vega but taking other measures like the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) who since Jan. 2023 have continued to negotiate with studios to make sure there are guardrails for actors who work on the screen or behind a microphone from AI, is the safest bet. 

In the end, any form of art has the potential to be beautiful. However, this is only possible when it comes from the mind, heart, soul, and effort of an actual person putting in the work to make it so.