The creative community is no stranger to digital disruption, as discussed in The Collector, but an artist is sounding off after stumbling across a social media post that took things too far.
In the subreddit r/infuriatingasf***, a Redditor shared a screenshot of a Facebook post claiming to feature a life-size elk hand-carved from reclaimed driftwood.
While completing such a complex structure would be a stunning accomplishment, a glance at the flat-looking elk betrays the real artist: AI. Upon closer inspection, the man by the stag also has six fingers — a surefire sign that he is also almost assuredly generated by artificial intelligence.
"As an artist, this sort of stuff infuriates me to no end. … Not only does the OP claim that they've actually made a life size wood carving. … This OP lied about it and didn't even try to make the AI flaws less noticeable," the original poster vented. "... This is a gross corruption of actual art."
Other Redditors joined the chorus of frustration with the growing trend.
"And they have hundreds of bots reposting and commenting and liking the content so it looks 'real,'" another Reddit user suggested. The OP said that was how the AI-generated artwork ended up on their radar in the first place. "The one who sent me the image I've uploaded was completely fooled," they said.
Indeed, AI isn't just making it more challenging to discern fiction from reality — at times endangering lives by fueling the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories. It is also displacing creative workers, burdening power grids, and threatening global water security.
According to MIT Technology Review, one study found that creating one image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging a smartphone. Meanwhile, per Nature, a "small" data center can consume more than 25.5 million liters of water for cooling every year. (For comparison, the average adult man drinks approximately 1,263 liters annually.)
To help combat this environmental drain, major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have said they intend to increase their use of clean or low-carbon energy sources.
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Definitely 👍 And as the AI sector works to boost cooling efficiency, researchers — including Ana Pinheiro Privette from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — have also called for increased transparency regarding AI water usage, which would aid with resource management.
The creative community is pushing back against AI as well. In August, per The Hollywood Reporter, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit against AI art generators to move forward after artists complained of intellectual property rights violations. Creatives may receive further protections in the long run, with the desire for authenticity fueling such regulations.
In the meantime, artists will surely continue to make their voices heard online.
"AI is messing with the crocheting world too," another Redditor sympathized. "There are tons of fake crochet patterns being sold. … The results of those patterns never look like the image, and sometimes don't make enough sense to make anything at all."
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