With the content creation industry being a huge industry, “the average annual revenue for full-time content creators is over $100,000” (Howarth, 2024), AI is the next step in technology, and we’ve recently seen the hype around it via Nvidia stock and all the different large companies investing in AI. It has grown exponentially, and it is something that has been promised to change the world. Such huge advancements in AI, in my opinion, should be a source of concern, begging the question of how we must navigate the internet and create in this increasingly AI-influenced realm.
A perfect example of this dual sentiment is the rise of AI models such as GPT. These AI models have demonstrated the ability to generate blog posts, emails, and even write code, which have been tasks generally reserved for humans. Even for content creators, this wave of AI technology can be both amazing and intimidating. On one hand, it allows for improved productivity by automating tedious tasks such as grammar checks or even suggesting new ideas. On the other hand, it can potentially encroach upon the creative, human element involved in the process. We have all seen AI-generated videos, which have really impacted the digital space with hyper-realistic videos generated via text-to-video. While AI has gotten better over time with higher video resolutions and cooler visual effects, the basic way it works hasn’t really changed. Editors still have to pick the start and end points of shots and put all the pieces together to make a final product. But now, with all this new tech out there like artificial intelligence and machine learning, the way we create content could totally change (Ohanian, 2017).
On a broader level, the move towards AI is moving at a speed that we are struggling to keep up with. Microsoft, Google, and other tech giants are deep in a race to develop and improve AI. Making it increasingly prevalent in every aspect of our lives, from search engines to photo apps. One significant implication of this is how the rapidly evolving AI technology may outstrip current regulations, ethical considerations, and societal norms. Most significant technological advancements are complex due to copyright laws and international laws. To ban AI outright would be to deny ourselves its vast potential, which is impossible to do in the long run. Improved efficiency, productivity, and convenience are just a few of the benefits. However, indiscriminate or uninformed acceptance of AI also poses risks, including the replacement of human creativity, potential job losses, copyrighting issues, safety issues, and implications for privacy (Asay, 2020).
With this in mind, the development of AI should be a shared responsibility between tech companies, governments, educators, users, and, yes, most of all, content creators and creative industries. Each individual and group is important in maintaining this new technology and ensuring it becomes a helping hand instead of a replacement one. For content creators specifically, AI is not an usurper but a tool that can help improve efficiency and quality. The key is to blend artificial intelligence with human ingenuity. Machines may excel in data processing and pattern learning, but the creativity, emotional depth, and cultural sensitivity that characterize great content are uniquely human traits.
Likewise, I think that educators can leverage AI tools to personalize learning experiences and simplify tasks while focusing on nurturing students’ critical thinking, application, and independent creative thought processes. At the end of the day, a tool is only as useful or dangerous as the user makes it; tools don’t have the power to do anything outside of human intention (not yet).
Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) services are really cool when it comes to creating digital content. One of the things that makes AIGC different is its ability to come up with content from just a little bit of input (G. Liu et al., 2024). What is crazy is that AI is now able to customize itself according to what kind of content is produced, the quality needed, and what information is being used.
In conclusion, the inevitability of AI’s use is clear. An AI model could probably spit out a better essay than the one I am writing now. We’re at a time of a crazy, monumental shift that promises massive transformation. While the era of AI is new and scary, it also presents a unique opportunity for us as individuals and societies to reassess and redefine our relationship with technology. As content creators, we also need to prepare ourselves for a future where navigation alongside AI becomes the norm and digital literacy is taught in school. However, one thing we can fall back on is that, regardless of how advanced AI might become, humanity is irreplaceable.
Sources:
Asay, C. D. (2020). Independent creation in world of ai. FIU Law Review, 14(2), 201-222. Law Journal Library – HeinOnline.org
G. Liu et al. (2024), “Semantic Communications for Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) Toward Effective Content Creation,” in IEEE Network. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10388354
Howarth, Josh. “30+ Incredible Creator Economy Statistics (2024).” Exploding Topics, Exploding Topics, 24 Nov. 2023, explodingtopics.com/blog/creator-economy-stats.
Ohanian, T. (2017). How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Will Change Content Creation Methodologies. In SMPTE 2017 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (pp. 1-5). SMPTE. https://doi.org/10.5594/M001794
