Part C: Cry Harder

Chapter 9: Concealment and Containment

Summary: This chapter discusses the futility of attempting to gatekeep or control AI's integration in creative fields. It highlights how AI can be used covertly, making perfect detection impossible.

• Concealment: AI tools can be used subtly, making detection difficult. Artists might trace over AI-generated images, use AI for initial drafts, or integrate AI elements into their work without leaving obvious traces.
• Containment: Even if major platforms like ChatGPT or MidJourney were shut down, open-source versions and new developments would continue to proliferate, making containment unrealistic.

Chapter 10: Contradictions

Summary: This chapter highlights the contradictory nature of public and critical responses to AI in creativity, examining common arguments against AI and pointing out their logical inconsistencies.

• Art vs. Tool Use: Critics claim AI-generated art lacks skill yet fear it will replace skilled artists. Traditional tools like Photoshop or MIDI are accepted, but AI tools are demonized.
• Value and Skill: AI art is both claimed to be valueless and a threat. If AI art truly lacked value, it wouldn't threaten human artists.
• Human Influence: AI is said to lack humanity yet accused of stealing human creativity. AI tools reflect human input and influence, embodying the essence of their creators.

Chapter 11: Continuing to Move the Goalposts

Summary: This chapter discusses how critics revise criteria for judging AI's role in creativity, often shifting arguments to maintain opposition as AI technology advances.

Criticism 1: "AI cannot make art because AI does not have a brain and brains are literally magical."

• Rebuttal: If you believe the brain is magical beyond the physical laws of the universe, then we fundamentally disagree. Human creativity, whether brilliant or banal, emerges from the same physical processes that govern all matter, including the technology we create. Good day to you.

Criticism 2: "That's not art. You are not an artist, and you should feel bad."

• Rebuttal: Stop being such a pretentious snob. Art is a human universal, an expression inherent to our species, regardless of the medium or method. Celebrating skill and professional accomplishments in art is wonderful, but remember, we are all evolved apes making our mark on the world, whether we're flipping burgers, welding, or using software to create.

Criticism 3: "Okay, fine, it's art, but it's shitty art (and you should feel bad)."

• Rebuttal: The quality of the art doesn't determine whether it's art. From my toddler's SpaghettiO sauce doodles to the Sistine Chapel, all expressions are valid forms of art. Get off your high horse, you snob.

Criticism 4: "Okay, fine, but you're cheating because you're not physically manipulating a medium (and you should feel bad)."

• Rebuttal: To argue that art must involve physical manipulation of a medium is to ignore the vast array of legitimate creative processes that don't. Whether it's conducting an orchestra, using digital tools like Photoshop, animating films like Toy Story, or composing music entirely on a computer, all these practices are undeniably forms of art. If you think otherwise, you might want to reconsider your definition after a moment of reflection, you walnut.

Criticism 5: "Okay, fine, you don't have to interact physically, but there's no skill in what you do (and you should feel bad)."

• Rebuttal: The reality, from my personal experience, contradicts this. I'm transparent about using the same tools that anyone can access for less money, yet people choose to pay me $50 for a set of four images. Clearly, there's a recognized skill in how I use the tool to achieve desired results, you walnut.

Criticism 6: "Fine, it takes some skill, but it's just work. You're just a hired gun. You're just a systems administrator (and you should feel bad)."

• Rebuttal: To dismiss it as mere 'work' and not 'true artistry' because it involves a machine seems to circle back to our initial discussions about what constitutes art and the source of creativity. Does the involvement of technology in the creative process diminish the emotional and artistic value of the output? If we've come to accept that there is skill involved and that these skills contribute to the final artwork, why do we devalue it simply because part of the process is mechanized? Reflect on how far we've come in our understanding of art's boundaries and who gets to define them…

Chapter 12: Closing Off the Exits

Summary: This chapter demonstrates that integrating AI into creative processes is inevitable and beneficial. It synthesizes arguments from previous chapters to show that resisting AI's integration is futile.

• Inevitability of AI: Discuss the historical inevitability of technological progress and how AI is no different. Highlight examples where resistance to new technologies ultimately failed.
• Benefits of Integration: Explore the practical benefits of integrating AI into creative processes, including increased efficiency, new forms of creativity, and democratization of artistic tools.
• Logical Conclusion: Synthesize arguments from Parts A and B, showing AI's integration into creativity is a natural progression. Encourage readers to embrace AI as a tool that enhances, rather than diminishes, human creativity.