Earlier this week I sat in on another boring, pointless meeting and a significant portion of the boring, pointless meeting was how my job was incorporating AI into many of our departments.
EVERYONE was so excited. They were excited about how much more time they would have to do other things that AI was going to handle. “This is going to change EVERYTHING!” they said.
Of course, we all know the fewer responsibilities we have at work, the more expendable we are. My giddy colleagues made me think about the dinosaurs when they saw that giant asteroid speeding towards earth. “This is going to change EVERYTHING!” they thought.
I am not a fan of AI. I think it’s been “marketed” as a significant time saver and it will allow us to do other things, but I feel that many, many employers feel that ALL jobs, regardless of what they are, have the potential to be replaced by AI.
Of course, the people DOING the job would probably say they can’t be replaced by a computer program, but employers may not care. If it can be done, they’ll find a way.
As an artist, I really hate AI. I hate that my Instagram pages are filled with AI “art” instead of art made by humans.
A few hours after my meeting, someone who follows me on Twitter sent this video:
This is obviously AI and was generated from this picture:
Obviously I have seen (against my will) AI generated videos before, but this was the first time I’ve seen one with me in it. Annnnd it was very eerie. I was watching “me” do things I have never done.
The potential implications that AI could cause is frightening. With only a photo someone could “star” in all sorts of videos.
As I watched the video I was captivated by how… beautiful I looked. Of course, AI is fake and the video isn’t of me and “I” look more feminine than I ever could in real life.
But that’s the point.
That is part of the danger.
I DON’T look like that. But AI might make me think that I COULD.
Sometimes we are motivated by possibilities. Perhaps we think we COULD accomplish SOMETHING, like realizing it’s whether in the realm of possibility that yes, with proper training we could run a marathon or whatever, but sometimes what we think of a possibility is, well, not realistic and can cause us to spiral into depression.
What I mean is that the video shows “me” looking more feminine, younger, and cuter than I will ever be. Even with a time machine, estrogen, and facial reconstruction I will never, EVER look like that.
But AI could lead me to thinking that I COULD look like that. Since I never will, I could be subjected to thinking that how “I” look in the video is achievable and that anything less than that could trigger feelings of inadequacy.
Many, many of us want to look as beautiful and as feminine as we possibly can. I mean, I certainly do. But part of our journey should include accepting that we probably look as young as someone who was born twenty years after we were. There will always be those who are so beautiful that our heart aches with longing that we wish we looked that beautiful.
I’ll never look as beautiful or as feminine as my wife, or Elizabeth Hurley, or Selena Gomez or Heidi Phox.
I’ll never look as beautiful or as feminine as “I” look in the above video.
Had I seen videos like this fifteen years ago I probably would be obsessed trying to be as cute as “I” look here. But time has given me perspective and time has gratefully given me peace and loving who I am and how I look. Although I will probably never completely stop being envious of the women I named above, I am very happy with who I am and how I look.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 
I prefere the real you to the AI generated you. I could never look as beautiful as the women you mentioned. I do have a goal of maximizing my feminine characteristics and minimizing my more masculine characteristics.
You are still a very beautiful woman.
LikeLike
My hope is that AI can be used to cure Cancer, but unfortunately AI will benefit Wall Street the most. You are spot on Hannah with your instinct. How can the Dow continue to be climbing when jobless claims are rising and the cost if living is ridiculous. Corporations do not care about people anymore.
There is enough false representation on the internet of what it is to be Transgender. Now we have AI to contend with to make all of us try to feel more inadequate. I’m not buying any of it! Maybe AI can replace inept leadership.
And as far as ageism, all, yes all of us are aging which has nothing to do with who we are inside. Our communities definitely could do a better job embracing generations instead of out with the old, in with the new. For you youngsters, you will be old someday. And just like the Old 97’s sang about The New Kid, you will be replaced. So be kind to each other
Nadine
LikeLike
Remarkable pictures that stir the imagination. Knowing the picture was doctored is the reality check of observation. Not all AI is perceived that way without proper explanation. The wow effect here is striking, and the imagination of the beholder proves the human mind is capable of creating such a photo and the personal touch of the artist is superior.
LikeLike
I’m still trying to figure out AI and how its going to fit into things. I know its a tool, and like any tool, it can be useful, but it can also be dangerous. A hammer can be useful of course, but it can also be extremely dangerous if misused.
I remember a couple decades ago when Photoshop first came out and people freaked out about it. From saying it was an abomination to simply thinking it made editing photos far too easy and could be misused, to those who were pissed because they learned how to “really” edit photos and now they’d have to learn to use the damn computer!
So, I try not to pass too much judgement on AI. I do appreciate artist who identify their work as AI generated, and I wish more artists would, but I also wish photo “reposters” would identify the original artist in photos.
So, what does the future look like with it? Well, Photoshop is now kind of the standard for photo editing in the industry. There are parts where AI will be useful, but it will also be misused. I just hope there will be easy ways to identify when something is AI. Maybe we use AI to identify AI artwork?
LikeLike