Artists - don't fear AI. Instead, be prolific. Build community.
“My daughter refuses to put anything into AI as she’s concerned that her creative work is then owned and shared by AI. I would love your thoughts on this! Are you concerned that if you enter all the information for a course, it can then be shared by AI?”
(For context — a big part of my business is selling my courses. When creating courses I often put the material into Ai for feedback and ideas.)
My response:
I’m very liberal with copyrights. In fact, all my content is uncopyrighted — see George Kao Uncopyright — including my paid courses. So that’s my basic answer.
Of course, I had to have a talk with Ai about it. I use a variety of LLMs to get various perspectives — Google Gemini, Claude Sonnet, Meta Llama, ChatGPT, X Grok, and Mistral.
What follows are their contributions to this discussion…
Accelerating human progress
When artists make their work accessible, it allows others to build upon those ideas, fostering innovation and driving cultural and artistic evolution.
Think of it like open-source software: when code is shared, others can identify bugs, improve functionality, and build upon it to create entirely new applications.
Similarly, when artists share their work, the collaborative environment fosters a cycle of learning and innovation, accelerating the evolution of art and culture.
Imagine if the Impressionists had kept their techniques secret — the world would have been deprived of countless masterpieces inspired by their groundbreaking style.
Sharing doesn’t diminish the original work; it amplifies its impact by inspiring others to create their own unique contributions. This collective advancement of art benefits not only individual artists but society as a whole.
Amplification of Value Through Sharing
The value of artistic ideas increases as more people engage with them. Widespread use and recognition of an artist’s style or concepts can enhance their influence and prominence within the artistic community and beyond.
But then I asked: “What about the fact that Ai art generators don’t currently attribute their artistic sources?”
Ai’s response:
The digital age has transformed how we engage with and attribute creative work. While AI training may not directly credit artists, the Internet’s vast ecosystem offers unprecedented opportunities for artists to build their brand and showcase their unique style.
By actively sharing and promoting their work across various platforms, artists create a digital footprint that’s far more robust and enduring than traditional attribution methods.
First, it establishes a clear, public record of an artist’s style and body of work.
As AI models improve, they may eventually be able to recognize and attribute styles to specific artists based on this digital presence.
Second, it builds a direct connection between artists and their audience, fostering a community that recognizes and values the artist’s unique contribution.
This community becomes a powerful force for attribution, often calling out unattributed work and ensuring the artist receives recognition.
Moreover, the process of consistently sharing and promoting one’s art aligns perfectly with the evolving nature of artistic careers in the digital age.
It encourages artists to view their work not just as individual pieces, but as an ongoing dialogue with their audience and the broader artistic community.
This approach can lead to collaborations, commissions, and opportunities that far outweigh the potential downsides of unattributed AI-generated work.
By embracing open-sourcing and active self-promotion, artists position themselves at the forefront of their field, ready to adapt and thrive in an AI-augmented creative landscape.
Adaptation Over Stagnation
By evolving with technological advancements, artists can expand their skill sets and explore novel artistic expressions. This adaptability ensures continued growth and prevents careers from becoming stagnant.
My response — I very much agree with this. It’s very short-sighted for someone to say they won’t use Ai because as we’ve all heard and increasingly witnessed: Ai won’t replace you (well…not for a few years) but in the near-term someone using Ai will.
For example I no longer hire graphic designers as the first go. I use Ai to generate a bunch of ideas to see what direction I want to go in, then hire a graphic designer to enhance my favorite idea, and I ask them to feel free to use Ai if it makes their work more efficient.
Practicality in a Globalized Digital Age
The internet has dissolved geographical boundaries, creating a globalized digital landscape where content travels at light speed. Attempting to enforce copyright and attribution in this environment is like trying to catch smoke — it’s incredibly difficult and resource-intensive. Different countries have varying copyright laws, and the sheer volume of online content makes it virtually impossible to monitor and control its use.
Instead of getting bogged down in legal battles, artists can focus their energy on creating more art and building a strong online presence. This proactive approach is far more effective in establishing ownership and recognition than chasing after infringements in the vast digital realm.
By accepting the practical realities of the internet age, artists can free themselves to focus on what they do best: creating.
Leveraging the Gift Economy
The gift economy, based on principles of sharing and reciprocity, offers a powerful alternative to traditional transactional models, even in the age of AI art generation.
While it’s true that current AI systems don’t often attribute the artists whose work they learn from, the act of freely sharing art in a gift economy context sets the stage for building recognition in several key ways.
By consistently sharing and promoting their work online, artists create a robust digital footprint that serves as a public record of their unique style and body of work. This online presence becomes a powerful tool for attribution, allowing audiences and future AI systems to connect specific styles with the artists who originated them.
Furthermore, the gift economy fosters a sense of community and goodwill among an artist’s audience. This engaged community becomes a vital force for attribution, often identifying and calling out unattributed AI-generated work that resembles a known artist’s style. This grassroots effort helps ensure the artist receives proper recognition and reinforces the value of their original contributions. Think of it as building a network of advocates who actively champion the artist’s work and protect their creative legacy.
Moreover, participating in the gift economy encourages a shift in how artists perceive value. Instead of solely focusing on immediate financial gain, they can prioritize building a loyal following and establishing themselves as influential figures in their field.
This influence can translate into diverse opportunities, such as collaborations, commissions, speaking engagements, and teaching roles, which can provide both financial stability and creative fulfillment.
In this model, the value of art isn’t solely measured by monetary compensation but by the impact it has on the community and the opportunities it creates for the artist’s career.
The gift economy, therefore, becomes a strategic tool for building long-term recognition and success, even in the face of evolving technologies like AI art generators.
Shifting Value Propositions
In the AI era, art’s value transcends traditional ownership and compensation models.
By openly sharing their work, artists can unlock diverse opportunities:
- They can leverage their distinct style to secure high-profile collaborations with brands or other creators.
- They can offer immersive AI-enhanced installations at prestigious galleries.
- They can offer create limited edition NFTs that blend their original work with AI-generated variations.
Artists could also monetize their expertise through more traditional ways:
- Masterclasses
- Workshops
- Personalized AI art mentoring services
- Crowdfunding
- Exclusive patron-only content subscriptions
- Community-driven commissions
- Speaking engagements
- Artist residencies
- Consulting roles in emerging creative technologies
This open approach allows artists to position themselves as innovative thought leaders.
Art as building blocks for higher level art…
Imagine if the inventor of the C Major scale demanded royalties every time it was used. Countless songs, from simple folk tunes to complex symphonies, would be stifled.
Instead, the C Major scale, like other scales and chords, serves as a foundational building block, freely available for any musician to use and build upon. Some musicians might create simple melodies, while others craft intricate masterpieces. The scale itself doesn’t diminish in value through repeated use; rather, its value is amplified by the diverse and creative ways in which it’s employed.
Similarly, artistic styles and techniques, even when used by AI, become foundational elements that future artists can utilize to create new and innovative works.
An artist who openly shares their style isn’t losing ownership of it, but rather contributing to a richer, more diverse artistic “vocabulary” that benefits everyone. Just as the C Major scale remains fundamental regardless of who uses it, the original artist’s contribution remains a cornerstone, even as AI and other artists build upon it.
The focus shifts from controlling and restricting access to empowering widespread creativity and innovation.
Ai is Generic...
Ai art generators can quickly show you what’s become mainstream and generic (just look at the public examples of Ai art)… which can therefore inspire you to expand beyond the normal and create something more unique!
So there’s urgency for artists to put out their work ASAP and name their style, to brand it, so that more and more people can naturally attribute it back to them.
Build a public community around your art!
Of course, the more popular your art becomes, the more likely it’s used as Ai training data. If you’re concerned about that, re-read this post…
You can be “right” or you can be happy.
Since no one can predict the future, no one knows who’s going to be historically right regarding Ai policy.
I choose to enjoy the new tech while enhancing my value in the marketplace. I choose to be happy :)
You too have a choice to make.