The Pros and Cons of AI

As a town that promotes itself as an “Art Town” in the logo, Milford has consistently been supportive of the artistic talents in the town. Art galleries and public art projects attest to the desire to promote artists as well as artisan crafts people. Yet, in today’s business world, more and more individuals and businesses are relying on AI-generated artwork in advertising. Although there is a place for AI in business, it is critical to not only understand the pros of using it, but also the cons that exist.

One of the benefits of AI is that it improves speed and efficiency. Programs make it easier to resize images, apply filters or create templates which can make designing advertising or other graphics much easier. There are reports that claim using AI tools can improve designing workflow by 60 percent.

Another “pro” for AI generated graphics is that it can provide a design suggestion which makes brainstorming easier. It can be a great starting point for ideas, whether in art or in research, providing professional-quality templates that can be expanded upon by the art department.

There is also no question that AI is cost-effective as it can free up graphic designers for other areas, they are responsible to manage, such as visual storytelling and concept development. AI can also minimize errors and produce high-quality work that benefits businesses who do not have an art department and may have tight advertising budgets.

All of that being said, there are still significant cons to using AI. It is still a very new tool which means no one should be comfortable relying on it completely. It is still critical to have human touch on any artwork or text that will be used in a public setting.

There is a very real concern from artists that AI will eliminate the need for them in the future. Although that may seem drastic, there are individuals and businesses who rely heavily on AI to avoid hiring professionals. There are many artistic areas where AI simply cannot take the place of a human, however. Creative thinking is critical in the art world, especially in the marketing industry. AI cannot replicate creative thinking and, relying too much on AI could result in diminished returns.

AI relies on existing data and patterns. When AI is used to generate art, humans begin to notice things that seem “off” in the graphics. In addition, the more individuals and businesses use AI to generate those graphics, the more they begin to look the same. AI tools also make mistakes, producing flawed designs that require significant human intervention to fix, leading to additional costs that could have been avoided.

One of the most highly contested issues with AI involve the rights of artists themselves. AI developers claim that the systems do not store original artwork, but analyze patterns, shapes and styles to create new works. Artists claim that many copyrighted images are scraped from the internet to train models without consent or compensation. In fact, artists have reported that their watermarks or copyrights have been found imbedded in art “created” by AI. This is one of the negatives of AI that is most concerning to artists.

There are many arguments that since art used by AI can be found online, if AI uses the image, it is not “theft,” even if the artist did not consent for it to be used. In fact, multiple class action lawsuits are winding their way through the court system claiming copyright infringement. Several have passed motions to dismiss and now move on to discovery. The lawsuits do not claim art was stolen, but that they had not given permission nor had they been compensated for their art to be used in generative AI.

The difficulty in proving copyright infringement is that AI generates new pixels based on probabilities making it difficult to prove in court as the law requires substantial similarity. In cases where actual watermarks are imbedded in the AI image, it is likely courts will side with the artist.

There is no question the use of AI is not only here to stay but is growing in popularity. By understanding the pros and cons of using it, businesses and individuals can discover how AI is helpful and how it can be harmful.