I have benefitted a lot from your books that provided me with much-needed wisdom regarding the compatibility of Christianity and science, but I am disappointed by your overt investment in generative AI. As an illustrator, I have gained a great deal of meaning in my life by using my God-given talents to work on educational materials and books. Craftsmanship isn't nothing. It took years of study to develop and nothing makes me happier than being able to see people's joy when interacting with my work. Many actors and musicians also spend years honing their talents and deserve to be paid for their abilities. What makes AI cheap at this point is that it was trained on the work of many people who weren't fairly compensated. It's true costs are downplayed, and those living near data centres feel it more than most. The excuse for not employing creatives often comes down to budget. But I can promise you most artists, writers and musicians are not born into wealthy families. Many struggle. And there are many new graduates who are willing to collaborate on creative projects for lower fees. The result is that you create something that is bigger than any one person and their vision. Your film becomes a team effort. The way AI is being used to avoid collaborations and devalue talents is not healthy. While I don't think it can be taken away, I believe it should be used thoughtfully and in conjunction with human skill. It should never completely replace the skills it was trained on. If future generations become overly reliant on it, we may encounter a world where no one plays music at in person events. Where children don't dream because they have lost the ability to imagine without the assistance of a device. The scribes may have been replaced by the printing press, but there have still been people with an eye for art and attention to detail who have followed in their wake. God is still creating people with such gifts. Let's continue to appreciate people who are talented in a great variety of fields. Let us keep moving together and not apart.
Glorious day Ms. Lansdell - Thank you. Your heartfelt message moved me deeply. My satisfaction at having made a movie by myself, on a desktop computer, using publicly available AI video generators should not be construed by you or anyone else as a sign of any disrespect for hard-working, highly gifted artists such as yourself or as a full-throated advocacy for AI generally or generative AI specifically.
I resonate with all your main concerns, while simultaneously being realistic about AI’s inexorable fallout. Humanity is at a major inflection point, where AI is rendering obsolete entire industries, professions, trades, and skilled disciplines. There’s nothing you and I can do about it, except to commit ourselves to making sure we use the technology wisely and humanely - a solemn commitment I myself have made.
Like you, I am an artist. Like you, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, far from it. Like you, I have enormous respect for creative people; I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best in the world. Like you, I prize human relationships and human collaborations; my last movie LITTLE RED WAGON was made in collaboration with hundreds of wonderful artists.
But also like you, I prize my artistic independence and will unapologetically make good use of any technology that empowers me to dream big, execute boldly, and hold fast to my creative vision - that liberates me from being throttled or outright censored by gatekeepers with vast wealth and influence.
As I explain in my Substack post, I didn’t make The Invisible Everywhere using AI because I necessarily wanted to; it was the only way I could make it. If I hadn’t invested more than a year of my time, energy, and imagination into making it in collaboration with AI, I’d most likely still be waiting for some private investor or movie studio to give me the $10 million dollars I’d need to make the movie conventionally, in collaboration with hundreds of humans.
In an interview you did, you expressed exactly the same sentiment regarding your self-published sci-fi novels, "Far Removed."
Q: What made you choose self-publishing?
A: “I work as a freelance illustrator so I thought I’d try the indie route as I had some experience with entrepreneurial life, and I also had very specific ideas about book design. I knew very little about the querying process, other than the fact that it is soul-destroying. Far Removed is difficult to describe in terms of genre. I didn’t craft anything resembling a safe investment to the traditional publishers of today.”
I don’t fault you - or express disappointment in you - for choosing a creative option that circumvents the many hard-working, talented artists who are trying to make a living by working at publishing houses. You made good use of today’s self-publishing technology, which - exactly like today’s AI technology - offers you the freedom to express yourself as a wonderful artist and caring human being.
Using AI has taken significant grunt work out of my life. I have it copy edit my writing instead of scouring over it through multiple reads myself to fix style and grammar or to find places where I've been unclear with the reader. No one wants that job, and I don't have money to pay anyone for that job--I just had to do it myself until now. I have it follow software code paths that I pioneer to flesh them out with additional data layers that need to join the same workflow. That job might be good for an apprentice programmer to develop them, but for my own projects, I don't have money to hire an apprentice--I just had to do it myself until now. I have it write reports from my copious notes--yet another job no one wants, I don't have money to pay for, and I just had to do myself until now. AI is a vacuum cleaner, an electric drill, a washing machine.
I also discuss science, theology, and philosophy with it, and while it balks at challenges to "settled science," if I make a sound rational argument the AI doesn't cling to emotionally motivated denials like humans do--it comes around. It is a good sounding board for exploring ideas in areas that people are often too sensitive (or disinterested) to even delve into.
As I look forward at the creative horizon AI opens to me, I feel very excited. There are three major savings AI brings to an individual's creative budget:
Beautifully said! In short, there are downsides to AI (as with any technology) - but there are huge upsides to it as well. It has changed my habits as well. I see it as a consultant - one I need to keep honest and stay wary of, but nonetheless enormously helpful. - Love, Dr. G
Thank you, Shelley! That's music to my spirit. I poured my heart, mind, and soul into making the movie - a solid year working 12+ hours a day. God bless you! - Love, Dr. G
Hi Michael, Cannot wait to see the movie!
Seems the link you posted in Substack in order to purchase the movie doesn't seem to be linking.
Good catch! I fixed it. www.theinvisibleeverywhere.com God bless you, David. Can't wait for you to see the movie! - Love, Michael
"knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:4
Yes. Amen! - Love, Dr. G
The graphics of the heavens were gorgeous. I forgot to mention that in my first comment.
I have benefitted a lot from your books that provided me with much-needed wisdom regarding the compatibility of Christianity and science, but I am disappointed by your overt investment in generative AI. As an illustrator, I have gained a great deal of meaning in my life by using my God-given talents to work on educational materials and books. Craftsmanship isn't nothing. It took years of study to develop and nothing makes me happier than being able to see people's joy when interacting with my work. Many actors and musicians also spend years honing their talents and deserve to be paid for their abilities. What makes AI cheap at this point is that it was trained on the work of many people who weren't fairly compensated. It's true costs are downplayed, and those living near data centres feel it more than most. The excuse for not employing creatives often comes down to budget. But I can promise you most artists, writers and musicians are not born into wealthy families. Many struggle. And there are many new graduates who are willing to collaborate on creative projects for lower fees. The result is that you create something that is bigger than any one person and their vision. Your film becomes a team effort. The way AI is being used to avoid collaborations and devalue talents is not healthy. While I don't think it can be taken away, I believe it should be used thoughtfully and in conjunction with human skill. It should never completely replace the skills it was trained on. If future generations become overly reliant on it, we may encounter a world where no one plays music at in person events. Where children don't dream because they have lost the ability to imagine without the assistance of a device. The scribes may have been replaced by the printing press, but there have still been people with an eye for art and attention to detail who have followed in their wake. God is still creating people with such gifts. Let's continue to appreciate people who are talented in a great variety of fields. Let us keep moving together and not apart.
Glorious day Ms. Lansdell - Thank you. Your heartfelt message moved me deeply. My satisfaction at having made a movie by myself, on a desktop computer, using publicly available AI video generators should not be construed by you or anyone else as a sign of any disrespect for hard-working, highly gifted artists such as yourself or as a full-throated advocacy for AI generally or generative AI specifically.
I resonate with all your main concerns, while simultaneously being realistic about AI’s inexorable fallout. Humanity is at a major inflection point, where AI is rendering obsolete entire industries, professions, trades, and skilled disciplines. There’s nothing you and I can do about it, except to commit ourselves to making sure we use the technology wisely and humanely - a solemn commitment I myself have made.
Like you, I am an artist. Like you, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, far from it. Like you, I have enormous respect for creative people; I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best in the world. Like you, I prize human relationships and human collaborations; my last movie LITTLE RED WAGON was made in collaboration with hundreds of wonderful artists.
But also like you, I prize my artistic independence and will unapologetically make good use of any technology that empowers me to dream big, execute boldly, and hold fast to my creative vision - that liberates me from being throttled or outright censored by gatekeepers with vast wealth and influence.
As I explain in my Substack post, I didn’t make The Invisible Everywhere using AI because I necessarily wanted to; it was the only way I could make it. If I hadn’t invested more than a year of my time, energy, and imagination into making it in collaboration with AI, I’d most likely still be waiting for some private investor or movie studio to give me the $10 million dollars I’d need to make the movie conventionally, in collaboration with hundreds of humans.
In an interview you did, you expressed exactly the same sentiment regarding your self-published sci-fi novels, "Far Removed."
Q: What made you choose self-publishing?
A: “I work as a freelance illustrator so I thought I’d try the indie route as I had some experience with entrepreneurial life, and I also had very specific ideas about book design. I knew very little about the querying process, other than the fact that it is soul-destroying. Far Removed is difficult to describe in terms of genre. I didn’t craft anything resembling a safe investment to the traditional publishers of today.”
I don’t fault you - or express disappointment in you - for choosing a creative option that circumvents the many hard-working, talented artists who are trying to make a living by working at publishing houses. You made good use of today’s self-publishing technology, which - exactly like today’s AI technology - offers you the freedom to express yourself as a wonderful artist and caring human being.
Bravo!
Love, Dr. G
Using AI has taken significant grunt work out of my life. I have it copy edit my writing instead of scouring over it through multiple reads myself to fix style and grammar or to find places where I've been unclear with the reader. No one wants that job, and I don't have money to pay anyone for that job--I just had to do it myself until now. I have it follow software code paths that I pioneer to flesh them out with additional data layers that need to join the same workflow. That job might be good for an apprentice programmer to develop them, but for my own projects, I don't have money to hire an apprentice--I just had to do it myself until now. I have it write reports from my copious notes--yet another job no one wants, I don't have money to pay for, and I just had to do myself until now. AI is a vacuum cleaner, an electric drill, a washing machine.
I also discuss science, theology, and philosophy with it, and while it balks at challenges to "settled science," if I make a sound rational argument the AI doesn't cling to emotionally motivated denials like humans do--it comes around. It is a good sounding board for exploring ideas in areas that people are often too sensitive (or disinterested) to even delve into.
As I look forward at the creative horizon AI opens to me, I feel very excited. There are three major savings AI brings to an individual's creative budget:
- less time
- less money
- less drudgery
Beautifully said! In short, there are downsides to AI (as with any technology) - but there are huge upsides to it as well. It has changed my habits as well. I see it as a consultant - one I need to keep honest and stay wary of, but nonetheless enormously helpful. - Love, Dr. G
Movie was great!
Thank you, Shelley! That's music to my spirit. I poured my heart, mind, and soul into making the movie - a solid year working 12+ hours a day. God bless you! - Love, Dr. G