The robots are getting smarter. Robots have the potential to take over. Algorithms are all around us, curating our entertainment, news and social interactions. Artificial Intelligence is making some jobs obsolete.
I remember hearing that no matter what art will never be done by computers… but the fact is that computers have made it easier and cheaper to be creative ever since the personal computer hit the market… let alone the smart phone. Creativity has exploded… in all fields of art.
Now the AI itself is getting creative. Some smart people have built programs that are able to explore, examine, and create visual art of all kinds. All it takes is for a user to put in some text telling the program what to make… and out it spits… art. Good art. Art that can move. Weird art. Scary art… pretty much anything you can imagine. And anyone that can think of a good text prompt can do it. It becomes an exercise in curation. What are the coolest images the AI can make?
So, do we fight the robots or join forces?
I have decided to attempt to be friends. I have recently written a poem called Cherry Blossoms. I used each line of the poem as a prompt for the computer to make an image. The poem is about the death of love, the death of the human spirit… and the fact that even in death, beauty can be found… but will we be able to see in it the dark? Will there be wailing when the robots take over under the cover of night?