Brian Jones, features editor

Picture this: you are walking back to your dorm after a long, depleting day. Cars are whizzing by, people are babbling on, but you remain empty. So, you make a sudden trip to the Movies at Berry Square.

Popcorn is bought, your ticket is scanned and you plop down in a recliner; the projector flicking on. Once all previews come to an end, you notice something. The atmosphere shifts, devoid of all comfort, feeling and humanity. You come to realize that the movie you’re watching has been generated using artificial intelligence (AI). This scenario is what I believe lies in our near future if AI becomes normalized in the field of art.

Art, by definition, is the “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects” according to Merriam-Webster. Conscious. That word sticks out to me the most. We, as humans, depend on our creative minds and whimsy to survive. Though this issue may not seem that important to some, I will tell you why this one innovation could be the detriment to what makes being human so beautiful.

Humans have been storytellers since the dawn of time. Telling rich stories has been at the forefront of who we are as a population. Think of your favorite piece of art. It could be any movie, song or book that made you feel seen. After you notice what makes that piece of media resonate with you, that’s that magic of it, the reason for being able to see yourself in media. Any human-made medium of art boils down to a singular core: lived human experience.

In 2017, Kendrick Lamar released his Pulitzer Prize winning album entitled “DAMN.” The record is illuminated with Lamar’s powerful literary genius and his deep, personal past. Lamar spoke about his passion for the record’s opening message.

“I don’t care if the statement is blunt or held back,” Lamar said. “They got to feel it regardless. People are going to feel it if they know it’s real and true to you.”

This statement is reflected through Lamar’s deeply personal story of internal conflict. This is unarguably my favorite rap album of all time. With each listen, I am enthralled by the countless wonders Lamar’s writing and storytelling accomplishes in one record. The album was praised for Lamar’s personal vulnerability and unbelievable rhymes.

Now, take Lamar’s talent and experience out of that process. What is there? Music, yes, but what else? What about the story of “DAMN?” It would be completely drained of all the lyrical colors that made the record shine in the first place. In a nutshell, that is what the implementation of AI does to all mediums of art.

Models such as ChatGPT and Claude are programmed to unconsciously spat out words in the form of code. There is that word again, conscious, but as its antithesis. That mechanic is the personification of mindlessness, completely lacking the human toil put into making valuable work.

In April of this year, former Managing Editor of the Carrier Eric Zuniga (26C) wrote an op-ed covering this same issue. He started the piece saying an op-ed he wrote as a freshman ended up “rather timely” due to the rapid success of AI software. Zuniga eloquently described his fears of the world’s intrinsic beauty being in danger in the hands of an unpredictable future. The fact that this issue is being covered twice in five issues confirms the immediate need for AI regulation in the arts and humanities.

Remember the movie you were watching earlier? It may be for an unconscious reason, but all of us consume and produce art to experience and connect with feelings mirroring our own. Without that, we would just be robots.

Through our lived experience and creative potential, we can tell stories, make music, paint, learn, fail and re-learn. As our generation battles the future of greed, capitalism and excessive profit, we need to protect our free and creative spirit. That is the most crucial step to make change in this scary world.

AI can be useful in other aspects of life, such as medicine, but in a world where we are designed to tell and retell the human experience, why would we let a robot do it for us?