Ok, first of all, AI doesn’t “learn” the way humans do. That’s not how AI imaging works. It basically translates images into a form of static computers can read, uses an algorithm to mix those into a new static, then translates it back. That’s easy different than someone studying what negative space is or learning how to draw hands.

Second, posting a picture implies consent for people to see and learn from it, but that doesn’t imply consent for people to use it however they want. A 16 year old girl posting pictures of her birthday party isn’t really consenting to people using that to generate pornography based off of her body. There’s also the issue of copyright, which is there to protect your works from just being used by anyone. (Yes, it’s advised by corporations, don’t bother trying to bring that up, I’m already pissed at Disney.) But even with people saying specifically that they don’t want their art to be used for AI, even prominent artists like Miyazaki, doesn’t stop AI from taking those images and doing something they don’t consent to, scraping, with them.

Third, trying to say that it’s only fear over new tech is a bullshit, hand waving way of dismissing people legitimate concerns with the issue. I like new technology and how it can help people. I even like some applications for AI. Using a bread checkout tool to detect breast cancer is awesome. The problems that have come up with other applications of it are pretty terrible, and you shouldn’t stick your head in the sand about them.

(As an aside, trying to compare ai generated slop to all other arts is apples and oranges. There’s much more art than digital images, so saying that an AI image takes less energy to make than a Ming vase or literally any other pottery for that matter is a false equivalence. They are not the same even if they have similarities, so comparing their physical costs doesn’t track.)

Fourth, I’m not just talking about people using AI to make lies, I’m talking about AI making lies unintentionally. Like putting glue on pizza to keep the cheese on. Or to eat rocks. AI doesn’t know what’s a joke or misinformation, and will present it as true, and people will believe it as true if they don’t know any better. It’s inaccurate, and can’t be accurate because it doesn’t have a filter for its summeries. It’s typing only using the suggested next word on your cell phone.

I didn’t say to get rid of AI entirely, like I said, some applications are great, like with the breast cancer. But to say that the only issues people have with AI are because of capitalism is incorrect. It’s a poorly working machine and saying that communism will make it magically not broken, when the problems are intrinsic to it, is a false and delusional statement.