"Anti-AI" and Fandom

I am pro-machine learning. I use this terminology because “AI” is a misnomer. Today’s “AI” is learning to reconstruct things from memory, similar to humans, but that is not intelligence. AI does not interface with a dynamic world, has no senses, and does not process the constant influx of information a human being does. I would even argue that due to its very nature, this isn’t even possible with the processes we are currently talking about. Though it is much faster than and capable of knowing more than a human being, machine learning is qualitatively different and fundamentally much less complex than human intelligence.

However, “anti-AI” is the correct term for those who are vehemently against machine learning. I wrote a piece on June 15th about how “buy physical media” is ultimately just a consumer demographic (read it here), and that is also what “anti-AI” is: an anti-fandom. Anti-fandom isn’t much different from normal fandom. It’s just that rather than buying a commodity and its associated commodities (identity, community, and lifestyle), it buys anything but those things.

“Buy Physical Media” is both a fandom and an anti-fandom, like veganism. It is against a form of consumption, building its foundation on anti-fandom. But both have been around a long time and have their own physical commodities (vinyl, VHS tapes, etc.) and ideological commodities (identity, community, and lifestyle) to buy and consume.

“Anti-AI” is not quite there yet.

What we see with “Anti-AI” is currently the generalized equivalent of cancel culture or witch-hunting. The most it can result in is boycotting and, like most reactionary nonsense, will eventually develop its own consumer culture and cordon itself off from society (again, veganism but also conservativism in general).

And the thing is, these people always get left behind.

I am currently using Midjourney to “pre-viz” the music video for my cover of Ginuwine’s “Pony,” which will do two things: it will be the intro song for Horseshoe Theory is Right, But Not How You Think and will function as a stand-alone music video to launch my first serious-ish music project. More on that soon.

Essentially, generated art is standing in for shots I will film later.

It's not that I don’t use generated art in final projects—I do! And I’m proud of it. It’s amazing and produces things I can not; it creates images that never existed before and lets me visualize hyper-specific nonsense that is nearly impossible to find stock photos or videos for.

Put that aside, though. Let’s say a creative person doesn’t do that but hates generated art. The process I am using to essentially make my music video before making it will allow me to have an edit complete before I have filmed anything. I will also know exactly what I need to film. Could I do this without generating art? Absolutely, but I’m not making 50-100 drawings that look like shit and aren’t actually going to be used in anything.

I can say, “This shot has a fisheye lens,” and “This shot has a 35mm lens,” along with costumes, lighting, and other visual inputs. It feels worthwhile to edit because it gives me much better insight as to what the final product might look like.

To say, “That is wrong, and I am above that,” is to unload a clip in one’s foot.

Luddite elitism: it’s reactionary, and it makes you worse at what you do.