In this era of advanced technology, artificial intelligence is slowly becoming a threat to society, especially in the field of creative arts, but George R.R. Martin (GRRM) has some ideas on how to bring this tool under regulation.
He and his fellows from the Authors’ Guild are suing OpenAI for allegedly engaging in “systematic course of mass-scale copyright infringement” (via THR), although Martin said he is aware that there is no way they can outlaw the said tool.
This leaves them the option to seek a process that will set parameters on the utilization of AI, especially when companies use tons of books to train their system.
Speaking with Winter Is Coming, Martin proposed:
I mean, if you do use a book to train AI, does the author get to consent to the use of the book? Does the author have any say about it? Does the author get any income from it? I mean, obviously on AI they’re not just training one writer or not using one book, they’re using like 10,000 books. So they’re using 10,000 books to train their AI, does each of the 10,000 authors get a nickel, or a dollar, or $100?
The author believed there should be a law governing this sphere of technology because if companies just freely use whatever books they want and gain profit from this business, there’s definitely a flaw in the system.
Writers Aren’t The Only Ones Plagued By AI’s Industry Domination
Actors and filmmakers are also frustrated with the influence of AI in their professional work. Just recently, the entire Hollywood was rattled by the introduction of AI actress, Tilly Norwood. But this isn’t the first time the tool has been used in filmmaking.
De-aging has become a controversial technique linked to people’s livelihood. With the use of technology, it’s easy to make actors look decades younger. This also means there’s no need to hire a much younger actor to portray a different stage of life or a makeup artist to work on the prosthetics. If this persists, real artists will be replaced by computers.
Martin feels for other creatives who are heavily affected by the rise of AI. Take, for instance, the process of making book overs. Instead of hiring a real graphic artist, publishing companies can just generate AI book covers without needing to pay for someone’s service.
GRRM Shares The Best Thing Budding Authors Can Do Amid Concern Over AI
It’s easy to feel anxious about your writing career when you know you’re competing with a highly intelligent system, but Martin advises young writers in the same discussion above to keep themselves always informed of the changing trends in the writing field.
You gotta keep apprised of this stuff. So maybe they should start going to Worldcons and other things, and know what’s happening in the business. And you know, the real thing is to persist.
The famed writer, who gained worldwide recognition for A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, experienced downfalls in his career before he reached the summit of success. His early foray into novel writing was met with failure after he wrote Armageddon Rag, followed by his venture into television writing, which also did not pan out well.
AI technology cannot come up with its own creative ideas. It doesn’t have an imagination as vivid as how Martin conceived the first scene in his novel franchise. Aspiring authors should remember that they are still way ahead of the game, so long as they keep on persevering.
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