Artificial Intelligence is a set of technologies that enable computers to perform a variety of advanced functions. These technologies are meant to facilitate jobs, but they may have some side effects.
Art teacher, Jordin Poeschl, expresses her thoughts on AI as both an artist and educator and the effects it has in our community.
“I have mix feelings about it, but my biggest concerns about AI is that a lot of people use it; they claim that things are their own ideas where AI is actually pulling from a number of images from other people’s work and other people’s ideas,” she said. “It has become a big problem in the art world. There was a drawing tablet that people could plug into the computer, and the company used AI art to promote this drawing tablet when it’s suppose to be for artists, yet artists are complaining that AI is taking their jobs when the company could have paid somebody to do that”, Ms. Poeschl said.
Despite all these problems, Ms. Poeschl also sees benefits to Artificial Intelligence.
“I think it can be useful depending on what it is. I think for art purposes, no. For other things, I think they can make really funny memes out of AI. I have seen some pretty funny. I feel like it can be a fun tool, but I think the only thing it can be really good for is things that need collection of data.”
AI can be very helpful, but all of this is lost when it is used in the wrong way. Ms. Poeschl has heard of art students using AI as their own art.
“I have heard for the AP art portfolio they have caught students using AI to upload artwork to an AP portfolio”, she said.
This type of conduct can lead to really severe consequences.
“They basically were disqualified and they didn’t get a score for their AP portfolio.”
AI is also being used by other students. Last year ACT Inc. conducted a survey in various high schools and found that 46% of the surveyed students used AI tools. Ms. Poeschl shares some examples of this situation.
“AI is used especially for essays and stuff like that and in college as well”, she said.
She has in mind some solutions to manage the use of AI in school.
“I think there should be some sort of program with paid access to be able to use AI. I just don’t think it should be allowed to use it and say, ‘this is my own work’”, Ms. Poeschl said.
Ms. Poeschl illustrates her vision of future artists and how things can go better.
“I could see it going good once we started figuring out ways to manage the use of AI to stop people trying to cheat their way with it. I could see it being very helpful again, for data and things like that, but even so the things that is used for are a little bit concerning.”
Greedy and lazy people are the problem, not AI itself. Thanks to them, it’s beginning to take over more and more careers, causing people to lose their jobs. AI can be really useful and help millions of people, but this can’t be possible if the wrong decisions are being made.
