It feels like all avenues of technology now have been infiltrated by some form of artificial intelligence (AI). It is pervasive in our world – phones and computers have it installed either right out of the box or developers add it with software updates, websites employ AI for their content or their searches, and we have now seen it be added to art and design tools like Procreate or Canva. This can present an issue for children (and adults!) who do not understand the nuances of AI and the effect it is currently having on the creative world.
There are different types of AI available, but the one that specifically affects the creative world is generative AI. Generative AI has caused a great deal of animosity and backlash from those in the creative community, primarily due to the issues surrounding the stealing of copyrighted works. This type of AI only works based on the information it is fed, meaning that in order for it to generate an image, it must first consume and categorize other pictures that meet the qualifications of the prompt entered. Therein lies the problem. Generative AI is incapable of producing something “original” as it will always pull information from other sources and almost always, they are copyrighted.
You can see why an artist or a graphic designer might have issues with that.
Understanding generative AI becomes especially important when trying to teach children about how to use AI ethically. What constitutes an original work of art in the world of AI? How much AI and in what capacity is allowed before it becomes unoriginal? I recently had to answer these questions in my own state, as I serve on a Youth Creator Award committee for my state library organization.
We had a number of entries submitted in our photography and graphic design categories that had employed the use of generative AI programs to varying degrees. There were items where we could tell that the entrant spent little to no time on their entry and had submitted a 100% AI-generated image. There were other items where it wasn’t as easy to tell if AI had been used or not. We had several long discussions about the spirit and the letter of the award submission process and determined that we needed to revisit the guidelines because there was no mention of AI in our current process. But how do we award artwork that was not done by the student but rather a generative AI engine when that is all we have as far as submissions?
This issue is not going to be solved overnight, but we can utilize the knowledge we have about generative AI to direct children away from using AI in these creative fields. We want children to have an opportunity to explore artwork and develop skills in graphic design, but not at the expense of other artists and certainly not at their own expense.
Resources:
- The Harm & Hypocrisy of AI Art: https://www.corralldesign.com/writing/ai-harm-hypocrisy
- AiArt: Why Some Artists are Furious About AI-Produced Art: https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/trends/artists-mad-at-ai
- The Problem with AI-Generated Art, Explained: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2023/12/30/ai-generated-art-was-a-mistake-and-heres-why/
- If it wasn’t created by a human artist, is it still art?: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/08/is-art-generated-by-artificial-intelligence-real-art/
Feature image at top of post of Child Using a Tablet – taken from Kaboompics.com
Katie Talhelm is a member of the ALSC Children and Technology Committee and is the Library Service Manager for Youth Services with the Arlington Public Library in Arlington, TX. Katie oversees programs, resources, and services for children and teens in the Arlington community and the surrounding areas as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
This blog post relates to the ALSC Core Competencies of: I. Commitment to Client Group, II. Reference and User Services