My social media news feeds have been overrun with artwork lately.

And not just the products of local artists and friends I grew up with whose work I do my best to share and support SA国际影视传媒� though thankfully their passions remain ablaze.

They now have a new creative competitor SA国际影视传媒� a new breed of imagery generated by artificial intelligence using keywords. And the stuff can be mind-blowing, with qualities so convincing, my SA国际影视传媒渘ot so artisticSA国际影视传媒� acquaintances can demonstrate they have enough imagination that they really should be artists. That probably wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 have happened had they not been given access to these tools.

These programs are an interesting display of technology, but using A.I. displaces our artists, musicians and others who typically sacrifice the pursuit of the mighty dollar, for pride in their craft, motivated by a genuine desire to make our world a more enjoyable place.

A.I. could support real artists too. Concept pieces could help one decide what a final product should look like. These could also assist an artist in negotiating a commission from a patron.

But so far that doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 seem to be happening. Now, instead of helping an artist buy groceries by paying them to do a piece of work, you can pay $5 to a software company to pump out as much art as you want. Instead of paying for a painterSA国际影视传媒檚 supplies and rent, your money helps finance a CEOSA国际影视传媒檚 new yacht.

Then thereSA国际影视传媒檚 the way A.I. learns. Sort of like an actual human, the program analyzes previously created works and then emulates the style after itSA国际影视传媒檚 gathered enough information. The problem is some of these programs are scouring the web for images to copy, potentially diverting income flow from a real, live artist who dares to show a completed piece outside a paywall, or shares a thumbnail or even a sample on the internet.

Here in the North, entire livelihoods are built on art. The potential danger of A.I. art isnSA国际影视传媒檛 just about displacing someoneSA国际影视传媒檚 hobby SA国际影视传媒� it threatens a familySA国际影视传媒檚 bread and butter.

Labour keeps being displaced by machinery. Fine wood carving has given way to Computerized Numerical Control machines which can pump out comparable work in a fraction of the time. Machines never get sick, need breaks or have to go home SA国际影视传媒� and you donSA国际影视传媒檛 even have to pay them. Most industries are undergoing similar transformations with automation.

Businesses always try to cut costs to increase returns, but try telling that to the creative humans who canSA国际影视传媒檛 pay their rent because a robot took their job.

And for people here in the Beaufort Delta, what happens the day someone can type SA国际影视传媒淚nuvialuit ArtSA国际影视传媒� or SA国际影视传媒淕wichSA国际影视传媒檌n ArtSA国际影视传媒� into a prompt and creates a mural, the design for a pair of earrings, the file for a 3D printing of a carving, the pattern for a Delta braid SA国际影视传媒� and no one in the Beaufort Delta gets the credit or the compensation?

Computer generated art is a fun toy, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 no substitute for the real thing. An algorithm may someday reproduce MichelangeloSA国际影视传媒檚 style better than Michelangelo, but a human artist still has the monopoly on creating something new.