Chapter 1: The Rise of AI in Artistic Domains

Artificial intelligence is increasingly taking on tasks that were once reserved for human creativity, moving beyond mundane chores to tackle inspiring endeavors. Unfortunately, the results have not been encouraging.

Recently, I encountered a story about Capitol Records bringing on a new rapper named FN Meka. While I don’t usually delve into rap music, I was intrigued by Meka's background, which can be summarized as a series of binary digits. FN Meka is, in fact, an AI-generated rapper.

While the voice behind Meka is human, the lyrics and music are entirely crafted by AI. The character itself was created by Factory New, pulling elements from various sources. This situation reminded me of Miquela (@lilmiquela), an AI model on Instagram known for interacting with real individuals. The significant distinction is that FN Meka quickly found itself in controversy, facing accusations of embodying a harmful racial stereotype and clearly not living the life it portrayed in its music.

Capitol Records promptly severed ties with the fictional artist. This incident underscores a crucial flaw in the concept of AI functioning as an artist.

In today’s world, creating stunning AI art is simple with tools like DALL-E, DALL-E Mini, or TikTok filters that allow users to generate artwork by typing a few words. However, this raises a fundamental question: what does this art truly signify? It appears that AI-generated art draws from a vast array of influences, relying on the art it has been trained on from the internet and other sources.

The dilemma lies in the fact that AI lacks the human capacity to emotionally engage with the art it processes. It cannot experience emotions, which is a core aspect of artistic expression.

Section 1.1: The Essence of Art

Art is more than mere representation or a collage of styles; it is an emotional experience. An artist combines skill with personal interpretation, which shapes how their abilities are utilized. Art not only evokes feelings but also encapsulates them.

AI attempts to mimic this process by borrowing techniques from countless sources. Yet, none of these elements can be considered original or personal.

Subsection 1.1.1: FN Meka's Artistic Dilemma

The issue with FN Meka is that while it can produce competent rap music, it does so without any personal experiences to draw upon. Instead, it relies on the myriad of lives and styles it has observed, mixed with computational assumptions.

Another aspect of AI in the creative realm is AI writing, which is similarly flawed. Capable of generating basic news articles, these AI outputs often lack depth and context. This absence of insight stems from the fact that true understanding comes only from lived experiences, not artificial or borrowed ones.

If given the choice, I would prefer to keep AI away from artistic endeavors, leaving non-human creativity to more suitable entities—perhaps elephants.

Chapter 2: The Future of AI in Creativity

The first video titled "Why AI Art Users Will Quit in 1-2 Years" explores the fleeting nature of AI-generated art and the potential disillusionment among its creators and consumers.

The second video, "AI Art is CRUMBLING and Why AI Bros Aren't Happy About It," delves into the challenges facing the AI art community and the dissatisfaction that arises as the novelty wears off.