{"680807":{"#nid":"680807","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Generative AI is Most Useful for the Things We Care About the\u00a0Least","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022theconversation-article-body\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGenerative AI tools such as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/\u0022\u003EChatGPT\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.midjourney.com\/home\u0022\u003EMidjourney\u003C\/a\u003E can produce text, images and videos far more quickly than any one person can accomplish by hand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=TP027oEAAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0022\u003Eas someone who studies the societal impacts of AI\u003C\/a\u003E, I\u2019ve noticed an interesting trade-off: The technology can certainly save time, but it does so precisely to the extent that the user is willing to surrender control over the final product.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor this reason, generative AI is probably most useful for things we care about the least.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECeding Creative Control\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet\u2019s use the example of AI image generators. You probably have a rough idea of how they work. Just type what you want \u2013 \u201ca panda surfing,\u201d \u201ca piece of toast that is also a car\u201d \u2013 and the generative tool draws it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut this glosses over the countless possible iterations of the desired image.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWill the image appear as a watercolor painting or a pencil sketch? How lifelike will the panda be? How big is the wave? Is the toast-car parked or moving? Is there anyone inside of it?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the images are generated, these questions have been answered \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/science\/how-ai-makes-images-based-on-a-few-words\u0022\u003Ebut not by the user\u003C\/a\u003E. Rather, the generative AI tool has \u201cdecided.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, the user can be more specific: Imitate the style of Monet. Make the wave twice the height of the panda. Maybe the panda should look worried, since it isn\u2019t used to surfing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou can also pop open an image editor and modify the output yourself, down to the individual pixel. But, of course, drafting detailed instructions and revising the image take time, effort and skill. Generative AI promises to lighten the load. But as every manager knows, exercising control is work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe Devil is In the Details\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn all art and expression, power lies in the details.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn great paintings, not every brushstroke is planned \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.harvard.com\/book\/9780593297582\u0022\u003Ebut each is carefully considered and accepted\u003C\/a\u003E. And its overall effect on the viewer depends on all those considered brushstrokes together.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFilmmakers shoot take after take of the same scene, each subtly or radically different. Only a small fraction of that footage makes it into the final cut \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.taylorfrancis.com\/books\/mono\/10.4324\/9780429506086\/film-editing-edward-dmytryk-mick-hurbis-cherrier-andrew-lund\u0022\u003Ethe fraction that the editors feel does the job best\u003C\/a\u003E. Great artists use their judgment to ensure every detail helps to achieve the effect they want.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, there\u2019s nothing new about putting someone else in charge of the details. People are used to delegating authority \u2013 even about matters of expression \u2013 to marketers, speechwriters, social media managers and the like.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGenerative AI makes a new sort of contractor available. It\u2019s always on call, and in certain ways it is very technically competent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut compared with skilled humans, it has a limited ability to understand what you want. Moreover, it lacks intention, contemplation and the comprehensive mastery of detail that yield great expressive achievements \u2013 or even the comprehensive idiosyncrasy that spawns very unique ones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsk ChatGPT for a film script, plus casting and shooting instructions. It will give you neither Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s masterpiece \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0068646\/\u0022\u003EThe Godfather\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d nor Tommy Wiseau\u2019s bizarre \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0368226\/\u0022\u003EThe Room\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou could, perhaps, approach a masterpiece, or a true oddity. But to do so, you\u2019d have to exercise more and more time, more and more effort, and more and more control.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAn Era of \u2018Cheap Speech\u2019\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat generative AI makes possible, above all, is low-effort, low-control expression.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the time I took to write and revise this article, I could have used ChatGPT to generate 200 grammatically correct, well-structured articles, and then I could have posted them online without even reading them. I wouldn\u2019t have had to carefully parse each word and decide whether it really helped me make my point. I wouldn\u2019t have even had to decide whether I agreed with any of the AI-generated write-ups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is not a merely hypothetical example. Low-quality, AI-generated e-books of ambiguous provenance are already making their way into online vendors\u2019 catalogs \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.404media.co\/ai-generated-slop-is-already-in-your-public-library-3\/\u0022\u003Eand into the libraries those vendors serve\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESimilarly, using image generators, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/from-shrimp-jesus-to-fake-self-portraits-ai-generated-images-have-become-the-latest-form-of-social-media-spam-226903\u0022\u003EI could now flood the internet with superficially appealing images\u003C\/a\u003E, dedicating only a fraction of a second to decide whether any of them express what I want them to express or achieve what I want them to achieve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut in doing so, I would not just be skipping over drudgery. Writing, drawing and painting are not just labor but processes of considering, reviewing and deciding exactly what I want to put out into the world. By skipping over those processes, I surrender that decision-making process to the AI tool.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome scholars argue that the internet has produced an era of \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/yalebooks.yale.edu\/book\/9780300274097\/cheap-speech\/\u0022\u003Echeap speech\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d People no longer have to invest a lot of resources \u2013 nor even face the judgment of their neighbors \u2013 to broadcast whatever they want to the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith generative AI, expression is even cheaper. You don\u2019t even have to make things yourself to put them out into the world. For the first time in human history, the ability to produce writing, art and expression has been decoupled from the necessity of actually paying attention to what you\u2019re making or saying.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure class=\u0022align-center \u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Illustration of red maze with small, axe-wielding figure chopping through the walls.\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022 srcset=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=455\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=30\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=455\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=15\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=455\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=571\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=30\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=571\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/650810\/original\/file-20250223-32-kltoms.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=15\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=571\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=3 2262w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\u0022\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EGenerative AI allows you to blow through the thousands of little decisions that go into a work of art.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Ca class=\u0022source\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/broken-maze-royalty-free-image\/523566678?phrase=maze%20with%20person%20in%20it\u0026amp;searchscope=image,film\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022attribution\u0022\u003EC.J. Burton\/The Image Bank via Getty Images\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhen Intention and Effort Matter\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI suspect that great art, journalism and scholarship will still demand great attention and effort. Some of that effort may even include custom-developing AI tools \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/2025\/2\/christies-ai-auction-artist-open-letter\u0022\u003Etailored to an individual artist\u2019s concerns\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut unless people become much better at curation, great work will be increasingly difficult to locate amid the flood of low-effort content, which is also known as \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/side-job-self-employed-high-paid-behind-the-ai-slop-flooding-tiktok-and-facebook-237638\u0022\u003EAI slop\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s appropriate that generative AI becomes more useful the sloppier its users are willing to be \u2013 that is, the less they care about the details.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI could end with some dire prognosis \u2013 that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hollywood-ai-strike-wga-artificial-intelligence-39ab72582c3a15f77510c9c30a45ffc8\u0022\u003Eworking artists and writers\u003C\/a\u003E will \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.politybooks.com\/bookdetail?book_slug=artifictional-intelligence-against-humanitys-surrender-to-computers--9781509504114\u0022\u003Ebe replaced with mediocre automation\u003C\/a\u003E, that online discourse will get even stupider, that people will \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3613904.3642459\u0022\u003Eisolate themselves in personalized cocoons of AI-generated media\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll these things are possible. But it\u2019s probably more useful to offer a suggestion to you, the reader.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen you need an image or a piece of writing, take a moment to decide: How important are the details? Would the process of making this yourself, or working with a collaborator or contractor, be useful? Would it yield a better output, or give me the chance to learn, or begin or strengthen a relationship, or help you reflect on something important to you?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn short, is it worth putting in real care and effort? The answer will not always be yes. But it often will.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArt, writing, films \u2013 these are not just products, but acts. They are things humans make, through a process of thousands of little decisions that encompass what we stand for and what we want to say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo when it comes to art, expression and argument, if you want it done right, it\u2019s probably still best to do it yourself.\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --\u003E\u003Cimg style=\u0022border-color:!important;border-style:none;box-shadow:none !important;margin:0 !important;max-height:1px !important;max-width:1px !important;min-height:1px !important;min-width:1px !important;opacity:0 !important;outline:none !important;padding:0 !important;\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/249329\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\u0022 alt=\u0022The Conversation\u0022 width=\u00221\u0022 height=\u00221\u0022 referrerpolicy=\u0022no-referrer-when-downgrade\u0022\u003E\u003C!-- End of code. If you don\u0027t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/generative-ai-is-most-useful-for-the-things-we-care-about-the-least-249329\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe technology can certainly save time, but it does so precisely to the extent that the user is willing to surrender control over the final product.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The technology can certainly save time, but it does so precisely to the extent that the user is willing to surrender control over the final product."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-02-28 19:26:00","changed_gmt":"2026-03-19 13:15:43","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-02-25T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-02-25T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676432":{"id":"676432","type":"image","title":" The creative process involves choices that lead artists to places they couldn\u2019t have imagined. Eoneren\/E+ via Getty Images","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe creative process involves choices that lead artists to places they couldn\u2019t have imagined. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/photo\/choice-concept-with-doors-in-maze-royalty-free-image\/1352055964?phrase=maze with person in it\u0026amp;searchscope=image%2Cfilm\u0026amp;adppopup=true\u0022\u003EEoneren\/E+ via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1740770855","gmt_created":"2025-02-28 19:27:35","changed":"1740770855","gmt_changed":"2025-02-28 19:27:35","alt":" The creative process involves choices that lead artists to places they couldn\u2019t have imagined. Eoneren\/E+ via Getty Images","file":{"fid":"260218","name":"Screenshot-2025-02-28-at-2.27.25-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/02\/28\/Screenshot-2025-02-28-at-2.27.25-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/02\/28\/Screenshot-2025-02-28-at-2.27.25-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3971581,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/02\/28\/Screenshot-2025-02-28-at-2.27.25-PM.png?itok=mbY6P_i-"}}},"media_ids":["676432"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/generative-ai-is-most-useful-for-the-things-we-care-about-the-least-249329","title":"Read This Article on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"658168","name":"Experts"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/john-p-nelson-1458177\u0022\u003EJohn P. Nelson\u003C\/a\u003E, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ethics and Societal Implications of Artificial Intelligence, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/georgia-institute-of-technology-1310\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}