This week, we presented our studio presentations for Assignment 3. While working on my presentation, I had the opportunity to gather my thoughts and opinions on AI in creativity and in general to form a thesis and conclusion. Initially, I had limited knowledge of AI, primarily regarding deepfakes, chat models like ChatGPT, music recommendations, and labour-intensive tasks. While I recognized the narrative framing AI as potentially dangerous if society doesn’t impose serious restrictions—particularly regarding ethics and consent—I was eager to explore how I could leverage it to enhance my own creative experiences.
Throughout the Augmenting Creativity studio, I reflected on the various positives and negatives that AI presents. I concluded that it is a truly unique technological innovation that enables us, as a society, to explore and expand not only how we approach our daily lives but also to enhance our creativity and make the creative process more accessible. I considered how I was able to create a short film using AI ‘actors’ in a cost-effective and manageable way, given my experience with AI software and narrative creation.
Although AI has existed for more than seven decades (Russell 2021: 17), its rapid growth and integration into our daily lives have contributed to an alarmist narrative. In many ways, AI is still new to us, and we are learning how to introduce it into more aspects of our lives in a way that benefits society rather than harms it. However, this process mirrors the introduction of other once-intimidating technologies, such as smartphones and computers. The fears surrounding AI are similar to those that existed when these technologies were introduced, and as with those, we have learned to integrate them into our lives while managing the associated risks that have come with their developments.
This idea of adapting to AI as part of the natural cycle of innovation brings to mind Certeau’s (2011: 35) concept of ‘making do’, where society adapts and makes the most of what is imposed upon it. In conclusion, my key idea for the presentation focused on the notion that humans are still behind AI and that it is not as much of a threat as many believe. The concept of AI singularity as a threat can be seen as a ‘narcissistic enchantment’ (Ulrich 2024: 12), where we place too much emphasis on the power of AI, thereby undermining the human agency and effort that is behind it in the first place.
References
De Certeau M (2011) The Practice of Everyday Life, University of California Press. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rmit/detail.action?docID=922939.
Russell SJ (2021) Artificial intelligence : a modern approach / [eReserve] (Fourth edition.). Pearson. https://rmit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/delivery/61RMIT_INST:RMITU/12275534580001341
Ullrich CD (2024) Singularity of AI?: Toward a new philosophical-theological intelligence. Stellenbosch Theological Journal, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.at7