6 ms·

Sure, but what about all the people who currently get paid for creating cute illustrations/photos for blogs, corporate brochures, and lectures?

by rahidz 4y ago

Cthulhu_ 4y ago
I feel like they will go the same way as people who had their jobs replaced - or improved - by automation. I mean at the moment they can expand their portfolio with AI-generated artwork and sell it across their existing customer base.
zokier 4y ago
What about all the blacksmiths, farriers, coachmen etc who got displaced by automobiles. Or certain famous textile workers who got displaced by knitting machines... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite
- ejolto 4y ago
  Luddites were hanged, I hope you are not suggesting we hang illustration artists.
  - kleer001 4y ago
    They were hanged for murder (in retaliation for deaths) after protests and then judgment for capital crimes. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-rea... Where exactly in this current situation are you seeing murder and retaliation taking place? Or are you being funny?
- wetmore 4y ago
  I don't think it's fair to just wave away such concerns. Automation lowers the number of people necessary to create something. This shrinkage of the available labor pool only happens faster with computer automation. The way the world currently works, this is a problem - people need jobs for money. As entire classes of skilled labor evaporate, there will be significant societal implications. There is also the problem of the significant centralization of power and money that comes with a future where AI performs the work.
  - zokier 4y ago
    All major changes have significant societal implications practically by definition. And luddites were having real problems too, people needed jobs for money then too, and the concentration of wealth was also a problem. Recognizing that these are old patterns repeating is not waving away the problems, but understanding that such problems should not paralyze us from making progress. Similarly it is important to understand what were the issues that luddites (and other movements before and after them) were fighting against and learn from what has happened in the past so we might best avoid the worst pitfalls.
aaron695 4y ago
satori99 4y ago
Those people will have to work out how to adjust before the web developers, accountants, paralegals, etc. -- but not much before.
rnk 4y ago
I think eventually some of today's illustrators will not find employment. They'll have to find some other work, maybe some of them will operate these programs. I feel like not enough attention is on the future of AI or computer automation to devastate many types of employment. It already allows increasingly automated factories to produce more without needing so much human intervention. Did you notice that McDonald's wants you to order with a touch screen now, and you can check out your groceries with one harried clerk managing 10 checkouts instead of doing one at a time. I expect that entire industries will shrink their workforces. Because the us is this place where we don't have very good social safety networks (because half the country thinks that makes us strong or something), the poor will find it harder and harder. There will be ever fewer people working in farms, many other kinds of physical labor will pay less with low demand. What's the end game? We in software are lucky for now, we tell those displaced to get educated and get a better job. What happens when/if there is a need for fewer of our kind? The world will be happy to save money for our labor if or when tools like GitHub CoPilot become more usable.

Sure, but what about all the people who currently get paid for creating cute illustrations/photos for blogs, corporate brochures, and lectures?

by rahidz 4y ago

Sure, but what about all the people who currently get paid for creating cute illustrations/photos for blogs, corporate brochures, and lectures?

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

I feel like they will go the same way as people who had their jobs replaced - or improved - by automation. I mean at the moment they can expand their portfolio with AI-generated artwork and sell it across their existing customer base.

zokier 4y ago

What about all the blacksmiths, farriers, coachmen etc who got displaced by automobiles. Or certain famous textile workers who got displaced by knitting machines... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

ejolto 4y ago
Luddites were hanged, I hope you are not suggesting we hang illustration artists.
- kleer001 4y ago
  They were hanged for murder (in retaliation for deaths) after protests and then judgment for capital crimes. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-rea... Where exactly in this current situation are you seeing murder and retaliation taking place? Or are you being funny?
wetmore 4y ago
I don't think it's fair to just wave away such concerns. Automation lowers the number of people necessary to create something. This shrinkage of the available labor pool only happens faster with computer automation. The way the world currently works, this is a problem - people need jobs for money. As entire classes of skilled labor evaporate, there will be significant societal implications. There is also the problem of the significant centralization of power and money that comes with a future where AI performs the work.
- zokier 4y ago
  All major changes have significant societal implications practically by definition. And luddites were having real problems too, people needed jobs for money then too, and the concentration of wealth was also a problem. Recognizing that these are old patterns repeating is not waving away the problems, but understanding that such problems should not paralyze us from making progress. Similarly it is important to understand what were the issues that luddites (and other movements before and after them) were fighting against and learn from what has happened in the past so we might best avoid the worst pitfalls.

aaron695 4y ago

satori99 4y ago

Those people will have to work out how to adjust before the web developers, accountants, paralegals, etc. -- but not much before.

rnk 4y ago

I think eventually some of today's illustrators will not find employment. They'll have to find some other work, maybe some of them will operate these programs. I feel like not enough attention is on the future of AI or computer automation to devastate many types of employment. It already allows increasingly automated factories to produce more without needing so much human intervention. Did you notice that McDonald's wants you to order with a touch screen now, and you can check out your groceries with one harried clerk managing 10 checkouts instead of doing one at a time. I expect that entire industries will shrink their workforces. Because the us is this place where we don't have very good social safety networks (because half the country thinks that makes us strong or something), the poor will find it harder and harder. There will be ever fewer people working in farms, many other kinds of physical labor will pay less with low demand. What's the end game? We in software are lucky for now, we tell those displaced to get educated and get a better job. What happens when/if there is a need for fewer of our kind? The world will be happy to save money for our labor if or when tools like GitHub CoPilot become more usable.