Again, this article is not discussing the quality of generative AI. Sanderson clearly believes himself that AI is already able to produce things that are indiscernible to art from his eyes.
What this article is trying to get across is that art is a transformative process for the human who creates it, and by using LLMs to quickly generate results, robs the would be artist of the ability for that transformation to take place. Here's a quote from Sanderson:
"Why did I write White Sand Prime? It wasn’t to produce a book to sell. I knew at the time that I couldn’t write a book that was going to sell. It was for the satisfaction of having written a novel, feeling the accomplishment, and learning how to do it. I tell you right now, if you’ve never finished a project on this level, it’s one of the most sweet, beautiful, and transcendent moments. I was holding that manuscript, thinking to myself, “I did it. I did it."
I'm not sure it is. I think his whole stance here is that you should create art for yourself, not because there is some intrinsic use to whatever you create, but because the artist has an insatiable need to create __something__. Creating art is therefor as much an act of personal growth as it is a past time. To rob yourself of that growth in his eyes, is to discard such growth.
>I don't know if it will always stay this way, though. If one day I read a novel and I think, this is a great novel. I appreciated it, I felt myself growing from it. And then later I learn it was written by an AI. That's it, that will prove that great AI novels are possible. I will know it when I see it. I haven't seen it yet, but if it happens, I'll know.
That's not what the essay is about. Sanderson spends the first half of the essay examining reasons for his strong feelings against AI. He also touches on the fact that he already struggles to discern generative AI from human art.
Eventually, he concludes that his real objection to generative AI has nothing to do with the quality, and everything to do with the process by which it was created. He believes (as do I) that focusing solely on the end product of generating a painting or a novel, robs would be artists of the valuable learning experience of failing repeatedly to create art, and then eventually rising past that failure to finish something. In this way, he thinks one of the real hallmarks of art is that it's transformative for the human who creates it, going so far to state that __humans are the art__ itself.
I mean if I'm totally honest, it could be beneficial to me if something like this comes to be. Even in the developed world, we have a bunch of annoying people who complain/cry constantly about dumb things. They do that instead of doing something, whereas I can excuse the people trapped in hellholes overseas because it really isn't their fault they were oppressed and mistreated.
They'd have their own economy and "life" and leave the rest of us alone. It would be completely transactional, so I'd have zero reason to feel bad if they do it voluntarily.
If they can be happy in a simulated world, and others can be happy in the real world, then everyone wins!
>I think we'll eventually get to the point where these are real time and have consistent representations
You have a dangerously low opinion of your fellow man, and while I sympathize with your frustration, I would humbly suggest you direct that anger at owners of companies/politicians, rather than aim it at your everyday citizen.
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