Procreate Doesn’t Take Too Kindly to AI, and I Somewhat Agree
With a lot of popular desktop publishing software companies like Adobe and Canva have embraced the continued rise of generative AI, there are still some who don’t necessarily think that computer-generated artwork is the key to the future. In fact, Procreate – a popular iPad design app – recently went out of its way to let the world know its stance on gen AI.
In a recent statement titled “AI is not our future,” the company reiterates how its software is designed to empower human creativity. As per the post on Procreate’s webpage:
Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.
We’re here for the humans. We’re not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less travelled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community.
The rise of generative AI’s influence in the arts has been a divisive topic over the past few years, with some expressing concern that professionals (as well as budding artists) are likely to lose their livelihood as companies would instead tap software to create artwork for business and such. Others fear that such software can be easily used for propaganda, which is already the case as we’ve seen before.
As a tech enthusiast, I believe that the conveniences offered by AI software are undoubtedly plenty, specifically when it comes to more mundane tasks such as sorting out grocery lists, typing out formal complaints, and organizing a summer holiday, for example. Special emphasis on “mundane” – as expressed by others before, AI was tailor-made to help people get through the boring tasks, giving us more time for the little joys of life such as art, music, and such. However, it seems like things have moved towards the other way around.
Additionally, Procreate CEO James Cuda also went online to post a video promising that the company won’t be introducing any generative AI into its products. You can check out his statement here.