src: https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-image-china-video-game-layoffs/
The last time I posted about something like this, a bunch of people went, “Yay, that means no more working!” But this is not actually good news–at least, not yet.
Here's the quick version:
- Yes, that means we can do more without needing human labor to do it. But when we're talking about art jobs, maybe we can remember that humans actually like creating art and want to have an audience for their art.
- The people who used to sell art don't get to just retire and eat bonbons all day. They still have to work, and they probably now have to work doing something much shittier than making art–assuming they can find a job at all. If not, they get to be homeless.
- The more people get replaced by machines, the less power other workers have, all other things being equal.
- The less companies need humans to make visual art (or other media–text, music, whatever), they closer they get to producing art that's 100% corporate in its style, content, and message. If you think things are bad now, trust that things would be even worse if all popular movies, TV shows, comics, etc. were designed entirely by soulless executives.
So if you're tempted to celebrate when an artist gets replaced by a machine, think twice. Those artists need a rock-solid social safety net, which we don't have. You, as a laborer, need other laborers to have power, which a laid-off worker doesn't have. And unless you never encounter art during your day-to-day life, you should be pissed off about the degree to which corporations want to control what you see and cut you off from your fellow humans.
Look, I want to celebrate one day, too. But first we need something to celebrate about. Guaranteed minimum standards of living, honesty and transparency about where our media comes from, a real choice about how we spend our days and where we devote our attention–let's start there, and then maybe we can say that this is good news.