By: Jane Wilde and Megan Saul

Culture and Media Production Editor

The idea of a world run by AI seems outlandish and almost sci-fi; however, it’s not as far fetched as we think. Artificial intelligence has been inescapable recently. AI has made major advancements in healthcare like diagnosing diseases, establishing treatment plans, and discovering drugs, as well as progressing education, and even environmental conservation. AI advancements have guaranteed benefits to some extent, but at what point are AI advancements going too far? We believe that AI advancements in nonmedical fields must be stopped in order to protect artists and people’s identities.

Recently, platforms like Sora and Mid Journey were released, which have the ability to replicate a shockingly realistic video, photo, or song, based on provided prompts. The most concerning aspect of these platforms is video replication and its dangerously realistic graphics. This AI use is problematic as it can lead to things like deep fakes, where someone’s face is digitally altered to appear as someone else’s. At this rate, we won’t be able to trust any form of media in the next decade or two. 

Deep fakes have even begun tricking people in the military and government. An article by Northwestern University shared that in 2022, a deep fake video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy was spread by Russian propagandists. Deep fakes being used in military situations will cause grave harm in the future.

Not only does AI improvement harm many different industries, but it also deprives Gen Z of future jobs in the art industry. When it comes to AI’s musical capability, aspiring musicians and artists could be out of a job. We know it sounds like a stretch at this point, considering the current AI music creations are unrealistic sounding, however, if the AI industry continues progressing at this rate, it won’t be long before the songs sound like they were created by a human. Some songs that AI has created already sound extremely similar to what people might sound like. AI-generated versions, discredit and underappreciate the work artists put into their songs. 

An article on artists’ opinions of AI-produced art by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, stated, “A big reason for plenty of artists’ anger is the apparent lack of respect for their work. Why should the pieces they poured time and energy into be cut up and put back together by anyone with access to an AI art generator? That’s plainly not a respectful way to treat someone’s hard work.” On top of creating songs from scratch, AI has also created covers of songs sung by different artists than normal. Although these covers may be enjoyable, the reality is that they are not real and are taking opportunities away from actual singers. 

If AI continues to increase in popularity, all types of artists including visual artists and musicians will be out of a job. Although we understand the advantages that AI brings to the medical field, AI’s unnecessary involvement in other fields will bring more harm than benefits. AI may seem harmless now, but if it continues advancing rapidly, the human race is in deep trouble. In order to prevent this take-over, we need to stop advancing platforms that specialize in skills that aren’t made for artificial intelligence and continue to progress medically. 

(Sources: IEEE, Northwestern)