3 ms·

> how do you steal an idea? We’re talking about pictures Ideas and artwork are qualitatively different. Artwork, it’s right there in the name. It takes work to

> how do you steal an idea? We’re talking about pictures Ideas and artwork are qualitatively different. Artwork, it’s right there in the name. It takes work to create pictures/art. It’s more serious than stealing just ideas, which I agree are economically worthless until executed.

ben_w 3y ago
Fun fact: the etymology goes to "ars", as does "artisan" and "artificial". Similar in German: Künstler, Kunst, Künstliche Intelligenz are all rooted in a single word that means skill/ability/knowledge/recognition. I suspect that those in 1855 who said "photography can never assume a higher [artistic] ranking than engraving" were basically right: me snapping a photo of a sunset, especially now on a device that adjusts exposure etc. automatically, doesn't feel like it should deserve the same protection as a carefully composed portrait with artfully chosen wardrobe and makeup.
- sixstringtheory 3y ago
  The etymology, while interesting, is trivial hair-splitting in the context of the real issue. I’d be interested to see any court case that has been argued successfully on such grounds. As for the opinion people from 1855 might have had about AI and artwork, I take them about as seriously as I do their opinions on germ theory, space exploration, racial politics, warfare, psychology, biology, nuclear physics, and many other subjects we have learned more about in the intervening 168 years.
  - ben_w 3y ago
    > Artwork, it’s right there in the name :P > As for the opinion people from 1855 might have had about AI and artwork Sure, but it's their opinion of photography, not AI; and implicitly my opinion of AI, not theirs.
    - sixstringtheory 3y ago
      OK, your point is well received about the etymological argument, but my real point, right after "artwork", is that yes, even photographs do require work to create. Would you say that Ansel Adams' photographs were effortless to produce? I wouldn't.

ben_w 3y ago

Fun fact: the etymology goes to "ars", as does "artisan" and "artificial". Similar in German: Künstler, Kunst, Künstliche Intelligenz are all rooted in a single word that means skill/ability/knowledge/recognition. I suspect that those in 1855 who said "photography can never assume a higher [artistic] ranking than engraving" were basically right: me snapping a photo of a sunset, especially now on a device that adjusts exposure etc. automatically, doesn't feel like it should deserve the same protection as a carefully composed portrait with artfully chosen wardrobe and makeup.

sixstringtheory 3y ago
The etymology, while interesting, is trivial hair-splitting in the context of the real issue. I’d be interested to see any court case that has been argued successfully on such grounds. As for the opinion people from 1855 might have had about AI and artwork, I take them about as seriously as I do their opinions on germ theory, space exploration, racial politics, warfare, psychology, biology, nuclear physics, and many other subjects we have learned more about in the intervening 168 years.
- ben_w 3y ago
  > Artwork, it’s right there in the name :P > As for the opinion people from 1855 might have had about AI and artwork Sure, but it's their opinion of photography, not AI; and implicitly my opinion of AI, not theirs.
  - sixstringtheory 3y ago
    OK, your point is well received about the etymological argument, but my real point, right after "artwork", is that yes, even photographs do require work to create. Would you say that Ansel Adams' photographs were effortless to produce? I wouldn't.