AI in art, and why you should never poke it

It must be about two years ago now that AI sneaked up on us like a thief in the night. You don't need me to tell you what it is or why it is so bad for artists. Because if you don't know why now, you will do so within the very near future, when we all see it strip-mine our humanity for parts.

I did have a quick two minute noodle with it when it first came out. I wanted to see if it really was all that people said it was. And unfortunately, it was. I was working on a piece called 'Tea Party'. I wanted a tiny 2" figure like Alice in Wonderland. My wife told me about it, and sent me a link to whatever site generates it (sorry, can't recall). I'm the guy who sees a 'Wet paint. Do not touch' sign and has to touch it, So curiously I fed in an Alice request, and it spit out three weird choices and one reasonable one. It scared me to think how easy it would be for any artist to go down that rabbit hole (sorry about the pun, couldn't resist that one). BTW, obviously I don't use AI, just watch any of my speed-through youtube videos  if you don't believe me. But some artists do now, and many others will do eventually. but I was content simply to poke it to see if the wet paint was really as wet as they say.

Because If I did start using it, then there would really be no point in what I do. No personal reward. No achievement. No journey. I like sitting alone, huddled over my drawing table, listening to my weird tastes in music, as my thoughts drift all over the place, and I slowly bring a simple white piece of paper to life. It's not just about getting there,  it's the personal journey you take. Ai is the endless trivial white noise you ignore and scroll past on your social feed, it has no value, it has become meaningless.  

Recently, I severed ties with an art gallery that promoted AI-generated artwork. I won't get into it out of professional courtesy. I love the gallery and its owner, but I will stand on this hill as long as there is still a hill to stand on.