NOTE: I am NOT defending AI or it’s usage or anything like that. So just tie that horse right back up at the kitchen sink. I don’t like the whole AI thing. This post is not about AI.
I get that it was necessary at first, but now whenever there’s any hint of AI, there’s a great chorus of everyone saying the same thing ‘AI slop bla bla bla’ like a gaggle of sheep jerking their knees.
It’s not fucking helpful. It only sows even more division among the peasants, while the oligarchs take zero notice and continue on as usual. The correct way to engage with AI content you don’t like is just not at all.
Examples:
Recently I watched as a post for a community event was removed, because it had an AI image. The image was not requested or created by the organiser, it was provided to them, and had information in several languages. But the post was removed because AI slop and now there is less human connection happening. Yay. Well fucking done. You literally are helping the AI overlords now.
I’ve seen many actual legit digital artists getting hit with the cries of AI slop and even banned, when they have been making art for years before AI was even a thing. People actually can’t tell the difference half the time when they think they can, and end up hurting real artists.
Now is not the time to be attacking each other over using AI to generate some stupid meme. There are much, MUCH bigger issues at stake right now, and calling everything AI slop does nothing to help.
/rant
I don’t think it’s a big problem for normal consumers to use LLMs to generate content, no artists are losing their jobs because of that and most people have other vices that are more problematic to the environment etc.
The main issue I see with it is the normalisation of AI which could affect adaptation elsewhere but I think these greedy corporate fucks will go 100% no matter what.
Consumer choice, based on morals or ethics, has very rarely been a major motivator to production (I think, honestly I have no idea).
Anecdote:
I have heard drawing/painting artists discuss losing customers because people generate a slop replacement and call it good instead of paying for commissions.
“Why would I pay $15 for your version when I can just make one myself?”
I was more thinking of scenarios where you wouldn’t hire an artist anyway. But undoubtedly there’s a gray zone there and risk that it’s moving.
What I was trying to say is that if I would’ve just handslopped together an invitation card to my party before, it’s not that big a crime to let an LLM do it now. Even though I would be much happier to see a sloppy handmade card than genslop.