AI: According to the Artists

““If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day”
”

— Leonard Cohen

If we are to believe the general tone and tenor of the current discourse, artists of every kind feel under siege by a seemingly exponential explosion of tools designed to close the gap between imagination and execution. Of course, this is nothing new. Innovation and creativity have always existed against the backdrop of a world in flux.

/imagine a photograph of a man's silhouette against the angry sea smashing into a Scottish seaside cliff

In times of change, anxieties are born in the ache of a question:

Is there room for me on the ark? 

I understand why we ask it, but don’t believe such questions are helpful, or adequate. Especially for those of us who’ve always had to imagine our way to belonging in this world. So, instead, let us begin to ask:

How do I build a boat as the sea rises?

To answer this for myself, I set about to draft a vision statement, of sorts, by which I might negotiate peace with the changing world around me. In the age of generative AI, it is becoming increasingly important for artists to stay true to their unique vision even as non-artists rush to these new tools and flood the world with a homogeneous flavor of work. Maintaining one’s creative identity begins with first setting down a core set of values, beliefs and intentions, with defining the core principles that undergird the work.

/imagine a close up of the serene face of a woman floating on her back in a crystal clear sea

The Artist’s Accord, as I’ve come to call this project, seeks to assuage fears and unite creative people under a banner of shared values that protects and empowers human collaboration with ourselves, each other, and all future evolutions of technology.

The twist? I turned to ChatGPT to help me do it.

As a level set for the uninitiated, generative AI (services like Midjourney, DALL-E, and ChatGPT) is the generic term for any application used to create new content by learning from examples it has “seen” before. By evaluating patterns and ideas, the AI seeks new and unique expressions. However, unlike human creative work, AI lacks the versatile and spontaneous creativity -- what we have come to think of as inspiration -- that allows humans to reach beyond visible patterns and connect unrelated things, which leads to original ideas.

/imagine a freediver swims toward the infinite abyss

I was reaching for an original expression, so I started off by showing ChatGPT my journals. Drawing from my daily practice of morning pages, I fed a wealth of my thoughts and reflections on these topics into ChatGPT and asked the program for guidance in crafting a set of principles capable of aiding me in navigating the complexities of the artistic world in this age of generative AI.

By approaching the early stages of the task in this way, I was able to direct the AI to take into account specific schools of philosophy and ancient wisdom that I hold dear, which infused this creative peace treaty with universal elements, ensuring it addressed not just my life but made room for the widest possible breadth of creative individuals, who I regard as brothers and sisters now more than ever.

But, I didn’t just want to teach it what I thought, I figured that I needed to let the machine contribute if, in fact, this was to be a true accord. Immediately, the wisdom of that decision made itself clear. 

I asked if we should model our accord on the creeds or manifestos of history, which it agreed was a sound idea. Within minutes I was able to read summaries of various religious and artistic creeds from across history. However, it was the machine that suggested we model ours on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which brought nations together to agree upon a set of fundamental principles for the betterment of humanity. 

Eureka! 

/imagine a penguin darts through the crystal blue ocean beneath an iceberg

As you can imagine, an introspective exercise like this enabled me to reveal and reconcile some of my deepest beliefs as I worked to refine an articulation that would provide a guiding framework big enough for all creative people. However, I didn’t anticipate how much the process itself would validate my desire to find firm footing amid the uncertainty and challenges that accompany such rapid technological change.

As a result, one of the central tenets in the final version is the importance of prioritizing the creative process, no matter the tools or methods at hand. Going through this process with the help of technology didn’t make me less of a writer. In fact, it drew out and reconnected me with hidden parts of myself, and reinforced my belief that the unique vision and voice of any artist is what truly set them apart. 

For all of us, nurturing that authenticity is not just crucial, it’s essential. 

As artists, we assign the meaning and provide the depth to the resources and technologies we use, so this should not be a time marked by anxiousness and fear, but by a renaissance of artistic vision. I hope the statement of belief below enables us to better support each other as we continue to seek the light with our work, no matter what challenges or changes lie ahead.

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The Artist’s Accord

1. Embrace curiosity: I commit to a spirit of innovation and adaptability, seeking knowledge and remaining open to how emerging tools can shape my work.

2. The Process is the Product: I will cultivate inspiration through introspection and reflection, seeking always to transcending the tools and technologies of any era.

3. Collaborate Harmoniously: I regard all available intelligent tools as collaborators in my process and extensions of my creative mind, never losing sight of the place of honor my unique vision lends to my art.

4. Acknowledge Impermanence: I will cherish every opportunity to create, aware that time fuels creativity and my tank will not be full forever.

5. Practice Gratitude: Because every technological advancement allows me an opportunity to make more with my time, I offer all gains with thanks and submit to fate all judgments of my work's place in culture to posterity.

6. Foster Balance: I will remember that I am not my art, so strive always to maintain a harmonious relationship between my creative life, general well-being, and the tools I choose.

7. Remain Humble: I recognize the creative act as a gift, coming to it as an expression of gratitude for the time, experiences, and relationships it enables, including those I make with the technologies that facilitate my creative expression.

8. Act Virtuously: I strive to create art that inspires human connection and reflects the full breadth of the human experience, therefore I will not allow any tool to technology to diminish my humanity.

9. Pursuit of the Authentic Self: I will trust my instincts and artistic intuition, allowing my unique voice to guide my creative interests and endeavors, regardless of the tools or technologies at my disposal.

10. Seek Self-Improvement: I will embrace all challenges, constraints, and obstacles as opportunities for learning, innovation, and personal development, including those that arise because of new tools and technological innovations.

11. Light The World: I endeavor to contribute to the collective human experience, using current and future technologies to amplify the beauty, wisdom, and inspiration I discover through my work.

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In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari eloquently describes humanity's unique ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers as the force that allows us to control the world. I designed the Artist’s Accord to inspire just such a cooperation, offering guidance and a common purpose as we navigate the AI-driven age together.

In that spirit, I invite you to consider adopting this document, or working through your own beliefs to draft a version that works for you. Whichever path you choose, it’s important to remember that a Luddite mentality does not prevent change; it simply excludes the Luddite from participating in it.

Together, let us forge a path that empowers our creative futures and recognizes the potential for harmony between artists and technology. We must not fear change but embrace it, and in doing so, we can ensure that our unique voices and visions continue to enrich the world, no matter what challenges lie ahead.

/imagine a surfer carries his surfboard though the swash

If the intersection of AI and the human experience is of interest to you, please consider following AI of Eden, a creative collaboration between myself, the words of John Steinbeck and artificial intelligence that explores the boundaries of language and storytelling.