Does artificial intelligence pose a threat to creativity? A Boston-area artist says yes

Illustrator Dale Stephanos says AI programs scrape the internet and hijack artists’ original work

THE FIRST PLACE. STUNNING ARTWORK, MESMERIZING MUSIC INTO WIRE FILMS, STORYTELLING IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. GENERAL AI HAS THE POWER TO CREATE WHOLE NEW WORLDS. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A GENERATIVE AI APPLICATION TO CREATE IMAGES. I’M GOING TO PUT IN A FEW PROMPTS DOG ADD BEACH PRESS, ENTER, CREATE, CREATE. WOW. WITHIN SECONDS, THE SYSTEM CREATED A PICTURE BASED ON MY PROMPTS. BUT THE TRUTH IS, THESE HANDS PEAKED AT STICK FIGURE LONG AGO. SO IT BEGS THE QUESTION, DOES I REALLY ME MAKE YOU A CREATOR? IT’S THE OPPOSITE OF CREATIVITY. IT’S LIKE ANTI CREATIVE AI GENERATORS RELY ON DATABASES OF ALREADY EXISTING ART AND TEXT AND MESHING THEM TOGETHER ESSENTIALLY, LIKE TAKING A SLICE FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT CAKES AND CREATING A WHOLE CAKE. WOULD YOU CONSIDER THAT BAKING THERE AVAILABLE TO THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY EXIST ON THE INTERNET? I DON’T KNOW OF ANY ARTIST WHO HAS OPTED INTO THIS. PERHAPS THAT DEPENDS ON WHOSE LENS YOU’RE LOOKING THROUGH. AND WHAT AI IS DOING IS BASICALLY SCRAPING THE INTERNET MILLIONS OF TIMES PER WEEK, PROBABLY BILLIONS OF TIMES PER MONTH, AND TAKING THE WORK OF INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS LIKE ME AND PUTTING IT INTO THEIR IMAGE DATASET. SO IT’S IDENTITY THEFT. IT’S COUNTERFEIT. DALE STEFANOS HAS BUILT A CAREER ON HIS LOVE OF ILLUSTRATION, WHICH SPILLS FROM HIS TALENTED HANDS ONTO CANVAS. THE REALISTIC PORTRAITS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED AROUND THE WORLD IN MAJOR PUBLICATIONS THE HANGING GALLERY SHOWS THE IMAGES PULL YOU IN, AND A LOT OF THAT IS IS BASED ON NOT NECESSARILY THE PICTURES THAT YOU MAKE, BUT THE IDEAS THAT YOU BRING. AND OF COURSE, THOSE THOSE IDEAS ARE INFORMED BY THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE, WHICH IS EXTREMELY HUMAN THING. HIS IS AMONG THE GROWING VOICES IN THE ART WORLD WHO ARE RAISING THE AI RED FLAG. A LOT OF THINGS ON THE INTERNET. PEOPLE THINK IF IT’S THERE, IT’S THERE FOR THE TAKING. BUT THESE ARE COPYRIGHTED IMAGES. THIS IS THE THE WORK OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE A POINT OF VIEW AND WORKED HARD TO FORM AN ARTISTIC IDENTITY BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCES. AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND AI IS YOU CAN JUST TYPE IN A PROMPT AND IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE THEIR WORK. NOW YOU GET INTO THE DEBATE OF WHAT IS CREATIVITY WORTH WORTH, RIGHT? WHY CREATE? THAT IS ONE ETHICAL QUESTION. THE OTHER WHEN DOES ART OR IMPERSONATION BORDER ON MISINFORMATION OR BECOME FLAT OUT DANGEROUS? ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT POPE FRANCIS, WEARING A LONG WHITE PUFFER JACKET, IS COMICAL. WHAT ABOUT THE PHOTOS OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP GETTING ARRESTED? OR WHAT ABOUT AN IMAGE THAT ISN’T EVEN A REAL PERSON? WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SPOT THE FAKE? IT DOESN’T DO HANDS. WELL, IT’S WEIRD WITH TEETH, WEIRD WITH EYES AND SMILES. SO, DALE, THIS IS FASCINATING TO ME BECAUSE IT LOOKS SO REAL. NOW. BUT YOU SAID EVEN IN THIS IMAGE, YOU LOOK FOR THE EDGING AND IN DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AS YOU REALLY LOOK AT IT, LITTLE THINGS START TO POP OUT LIKE THE, THE, THE BLUR ON HER MOUTH IS WEIRD. THE DIMPLES ARE NOT THE SAME RESOLUTION AS THE CHEEK SHADOWING HERE EVEN LOOKS SLIGHTLY MANIPULATED. I CHECK THE EDGES. THIS IS A SUSPECT EDGE RIGHT HERE. DO YOU THINK WE WILL BE TO THE POINT AND PROBABLY SOMEDAY SOON WHERE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH. OH, MY GOD, YES. YEAH. IT’S GETTING SO GOOD, SO FAST. DALE SAYS HE IS DIVING INTO THE TECHNOLOGY, NOT FOR PERSONAL USE, BUT FOR SELF PRESERVATION. MY ATTITUDE HAS BEEN I WANT TO JUMP IN THE CAR AND GO FOR A RIDE ALONG WITH THE GANG THAT’S PLANNING ON BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE AND TAKING ALL MY STUFF. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT’S UP TO. WILL AI REPLACE ARTISTS? IT’S NOT LIKELY. ANYONE WHO PAINTS, DRAWS OR WRITES KNOWS THAT THE GIFT ISN’T THE END RESULT, BUT THE PROCESS THAT BRINGS ART TO LIFE. AND WE SHOULD MENTION THAT DALE STEFANOS IS THE HUSBAND OF NEWSCENTER 5 MARIA STEPHANOS, WHO JUST WALKED THROUGH THE STUDIO. BY THE WAY, HE’S LONG BEEN OUTSPOKEN, THOUGH, ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF PROTECTING ARTISTS WORK. YEAH, AND THERE ARE PEOPLE ONLINE CREATING IMAGES USING AI AND THEN TRYING TO PROFIT BY COPYRIGHTING THOSE IMAGES. ARTISTS SAY THESE NEW AI IMAGES CONTAIN PIECES OF THEIR ORIGINAL WORK, AND MANY OF THE NEW AI APPS ARE NOT PAYING FOR THE MATERIAL THEY ARE PULLING FROM. SO THE QUESTION REMAINS, CAN YOU COPYRIGHT A PROMPT? THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS TH

Does artificial intelligence pose a threat to creativity? A Boston-area artist says yes

Illustrator Dale Stephanos says AI programs scrape the internet and hijack artists’ original work

A professor of computer science and AI developer at MIT, Regina Barzilay, and her team have created a tool powered by artificial intelligence that they say can predict the likelihood that cancer will develop in a patient in the next five years. Though not yet at the clinical trial stage, doctors at Mass General Cancer Center have partnered with Barzilay to test the technology.Doctors at Mass General Brigham are using generative AI to record patient visits instead of typing in notes. Doctors say the technology not only saves them hours in administrative work, allowing them more time with patients, but they are able to focus on a patient’s social cues during appointments.According to AAMC.org, in 2019, one-third of all Massachusetts doctors were over the age of 60.Dale Stephanos has been a professional artist for over 30 years. His work has been published and posted around the world. He speaks to Nicole Estaphan about how AI programs facilitate the use of copyrighted work to generate images – without the consent of the original artists.Local schools, including Nipmuc Regional High School, are now grappling with the increasing use of generative AI in the classroom. Students have been using the applications to complete assignments both without permission and with it. While many districts are banning the technology, one local teacher is embracing its educational value.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

A professor of computer science and AI developer at MIT, Regina Barzilay, and her team have created a tool powered by artificial intelligence that they say can predict the likelihood that cancer will develop in a patient in the next five years. Though not yet at the clinical trial stage, doctors at Mass General Cancer Center have partnered with Barzilay to test the technology.

Doctors at Mass General Brigham are using generative AI to record patient visits instead of typing in notes. Doctors say the technology not only saves them hours in administrative work, allowing them more time with patients, but they are able to focus on a patient’s social cues during appointments.

According to AAMC.org, in 2019, one-third of all Massachusetts doctors were over the age of 60.

Dale Stephanos has been a professional artist for over 30 years. His work has been published and posted around the world. He speaks to Nicole Estaphan about how AI programs facilitate the use of copyrighted work to generate images – without the consent of the original artists.

Local schools, including Nipmuc Regional High School, are now grappling with the increasing use of generative AI in the classroom. Students have been using the applications to complete assignments both without permission and with it. While many districts are banning the technology, one local teacher is embracing its educational value.



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