Can Fans Save Us From AI Media?

It’s September 2014, and I’m sitting in Bioinformatics 527, learning about machine learning models and how to apply them to genomics data. The instructor describes how these models “learn” (read: iterate and predict) from the provided inputs. I’m gonna be honest, the math went way over my head, but the concept was intriguing, and there was a compelling argument to be had: scientific inference could advance far more quickly with the help of machines. The human brain is great at generating insights and art, but it’s terrible at rote prediction and statistics. That’s where machines excel. At the time, I thought, “Hey, that’s cool. I hope [someone else] keeps improving these methods.”

And they did. OH, HOW THEY DID. In just ten years, we’ve gone from only the academics of the world thinking about machine learning to “AI” becoming a everyday product that’s doing people’s homework and acing their quizzes. And, to be fair, there are biotech companies (including the one I work for) doing really cool things with machine learning to speed up drug discovery and testing, as well as big data analysis, but most people think of AI as a simple cheat code. A way to more quickly produce or access something, whether it’s information, a therapist (*shudders*), or even creative media.

For the first time ever, anyone can be an artist. Novels, paintings, videos. They’re all only a query away!

At first blush, this might seem freeing. Perhaps even exciting. For those without the time or resources to generate creative works the long, laborious way, they can now participate in their favorite forms of media.

But I have no doubt those reading this can also see the downsides. The ethical quandaries, the market concerns, and the logistical nightmares of wading through mountains of AI content. When everyone is an artist, the people doing things the old way — toiling for hours over their keyboards and canvasses — cease to be unique. Suddenly, their neighbor with a law degree can create photorealistic videos of Shaq transforming into a cactus like the world’s worst Animorph. Funny? Yes. Important or artistic? Debatable.

But here’s where my hopeful hot take arrives: I believe the fans will work hard to support creatives. And I believe this for one simple reason: they want the person behind the story. The quirky personality. The unrelated hobbies. The pets with silly names. These are the things that make people fall in love with artists. To attend their panels and signings for a brief glimpse into their world.

Can you truly imagine anyone showing up to a convention booth to ask things like: What were the inspirations for your query? How much time did you save using AI on your latest project? Are you going to ask your LLM to write a sequel?

Sure, anyone can write a novel now. But where’s the fun in reading a manuscript when there’s no author to get behind? No mind to probe for the ‘why’ of it all? For a fan, none at all. And I think that’s exactly what will keep art afloat amongst the ‘slop.’ Human connection.