Raw LLM Responses

As an artist and a writer, myself, I do not think it is "an infringing act" to train AI models on artwork or books, regardless of how they are sourced (if they're available to the public in some form, already.) People can go to libraries to read, or museums to look at art, or borrow books from other people, or trace pictures to train themselves how to draw... (I'm not saying it's the "same thing"... I'm saying it's equivalent on the morality scale.) "Ethically sourced" as an anti-ai tool argument, is a joke to me (at least, it's too flimsy to hold up against the way I think.) Just because SOME people are going to go and make money off the training done doesn't make it bad, (and there are FREE open source, off-line generative AI tools that do not require paying a subscription or fee to web-hosted Ai generation services, so not all AI tools are made equal, nor do all arguments apply to all the tools.) I'm not going to get into the whole "how AI tools work" part... because most people who are against it just stick their fingers in their ears and refuse to hear it, or reject it with "nuh uh." I will say, it's not an "amalgamation" or collage making thing. Then, there's the whole issue of how much input did the human have in a work? There is a WIDE range of potential use scenarios for both art and writing tools, from a person simply writing a tiny quick prompt for fun... all the way to a person drawing their own nearly finished piece of art, and using tools like a filter to add a different look to it that seems more polished and to the liking of the artist using the tool to produce their intended final product. For individuals using Ai art and writing tools to assist them in their work, I think intent is important; so, having a specific final goal in mind, rather than using the tools like slot machines, where you pull the lever and take whatever it spits out as a final product. Works produced with human intent, and infused with the ideas and messages that the author or artist want to get across to another human, can be just as worthy of appreciation as any other works by people that did not use tools. As I said at the start, I'm both a writer and an artist. I like to concept sketch my characters, places and things. I'd like to add those as illustrations to my books. I don't think my sketches are worthy of a "professional" title, but with a little AI tool assistance, the tools can polish my works until they meet the image that already exists in my mind's eye. I wouldn't want to demoralize a human artist with the number of soul-crushing edits I would inflict upon them as they tried and failed, over and over and over and over and over, to try to create the image that only exists in my head... while they charged me an arm and a leg for the artwork in a book that likely won't sell enough copies to pay for the artwork... and still end up with an end product that isn't exactly what I want. To the point of Ai art tools stifling artists... as an artist using Ai art tools (mostly to fool around with so far), I've drawn more of my own images while using the tools, than I have in the past few YEARS, because I don't just take whatever the tools spit out... first of all, I start with my own image, then I refine it with the tools, and all along the way I'm editing and thinking of other images I want to create, which has only served to encourage me to create MORE art by my own hand, and to make use of it along with the AI art tools... far from stifling creativity, or skill, because drawing more and more is practice... which increases one's skill... The description of "abdicating to the machine" is not the outcome I have seen come from the use of the AI tools as assistants to human work. (in other words, I'm not talking about people PLAYING with the tools like slot machines... I'm talking working with the tools to create an intended result.) Even the videos I've watched about people using writing tools shows how much the human author must put into the work to get something worthwhile out of the tools. I don't see that aspect going away... no matter how advanced the tools become. (we're not talking artificial general intelligence... these AI tools being "ai" is a misnomer that muddies the waters of discussion.) I don't foresee myself using an AI writing tool, because I don't like the process. I do like the process of creating AI assisted images. On the whole jobs market part of this, with AI tools taking away entry level jobs... sure. Probably. Technological advances have always shifted the job market around the innovation. Some jobs are lost, usually, MANY more are created. For instance, independent video game and movie projects that would never have seen the light of day, may now become possible due to Ai tools to assist humans to create these works. While fewer artists and writers may work on these projects... there can be more projects... and artists and writers can take more controlling roles in these projects, perhaps working entirely solo on passion projects that would never have been made, if they needed to assemble a whole team to make it happen. As a consumer of art, I don't care HOW it was made, as long as I like it. This view/concept goes for both images and writing. There is fantastic Ai assisted art out there... and I don't care about the flaws. Humans have flaws in their works too. Also, who guaranteed all these artists and writers that they could make a living off their art? Art has always been a risky endeavor, with many authors going years before making enough money off their books to call it their "job"... all the while, working "real jobs" or having a supportive benefactor, such as a relative or spouse paying the bills to let them live their dream. This is just entitlement and fear mongering (the loss of jobs argument), and I don't give it any weight at all, sorry. Personally, I'd continue creating art, whether or not AI tools become the normal way of producing commercial products. It's not going to get rid of artists... unless they were only making art to make money... and then all this fearmongering and hatred of Ai tools makes a lot more sense.