AJ Alanson Author

There have always been posers, pirates, barkers, and cheats. As a creative, wannabees have been the bane of my existence ever since Jenny D wrote her name on my dog drawing in kindergarten and the teacher bought her act. Such a cruel, cruel lesson for a 5yo but one I needed to learn and that is: where there are talented creators, there will always be talentless thieves chasing after them.

The same notion rears its head with “collectors.” How long after I put up a funny dog video before a thousand collectors compile my pooch with other pooches? And then some dude records himself “reacting” to the compiled video. Soon after, we should see a plastic face trolling the dude’s reactions. It’s almost like an art director curates a collection of actual artists’ work, names the collection, markets the grand effort “as curated by Sir Appropriator,” and then an art critique writes a scathing review of the curator’s “vision.” See, no different, right?

Okay, I’m simplifying to make a point but I keep hearing AI is ruining the world, and maybe it is. Maybe it will. Maybe it already has, considering the con-men its elevated, but compiling, synthesizing, and regurgitating has been the way of humans since Og and Zog pointed at a turtle high-centered on a rock and laughed together. It’s how we protect ourselves, commune with others, create beauty, and express our needs. Think cat videos as modern day hieroglyphs. If you want to communicate anything, you must use a common language and ALL language is based on PRIOR ART. So, is it theft or “standing on the shoulders of giants?”

I’m not justifying the shameless theft of humanity’s creations for quick, easy monetary gain. I’m saying don’t build a new strawman – AI – just to avoid facing human nature. I find it somewhat amusing, if ironic, as people in my industry cry “thief” when AI appropriates another’s creation without credit or compensation. Admittedly, morality is getting a bit fuzzier when a computer (itself created by humans) is assimilating all that has come before and spewing out…mostly garbage, but only because it is not human, but a creation itself – by humans.

And round and round we go. Where it stops is where we, as the actual creators of original content, hop off the pointing, trolling, blaming, distraction wheel and go back to producing. ANYONE can be a troll if we slide down the brainstem far enough. VERE FEW can actually create new – okay, a “new” synthesis of all of life’s experiences up until that moment in time when the artist choses to communicate.

Oh, and as for the posers, scammers, hypocrites, and usurpers, well, I’ve made a whole lot of dog pictures since I was five (not literally, it’s a metaphor, mostly), and dog videos (try to keep up), and I’m still being exploited while my back is turned (again creating actual original stuff). It’s the way of the world but you’d be shocked at how fast the lowlife hacks lose interest in you when you say, “go ahead, steal it, break it, ruin it, this isn’t my last idea,” or worse, “I’ve moved on. You should try it.” To steal my goods, the goods got to exist which means I’m ALWAYS first and you’re ALWAYS last. Catch me if you can!

Quick sketch below. For a friend.