Recently, with the availability of AI as a tool for illustration, some of our writers have submitted articles using AI created artwork. We don’t mind it and here’s why.
For a community news outlet that runs daily but only prints every two weeks, it makes sense — sometimes.
I think it’s important that we realize how the day-to-day of a newspaper happens. Most days, we have a plan of things to write for the website (immediate things), and then weekly items from one of our underpaid freelancers.
Now, as you all have witnessed, LEO has gone through some sprucing up and that hasn’t come without a price tag and cuts in other places — one of those being our freelance budget. With that time and frequency of our output in mind, it isn’t conducive for us to ask a local artist to illustrate something like a weekly food article. We try to save our asks for covers or other major pieces of the paper. And, we know that our creative community will support us but we don’t want to overstay our welcome, and ask too much. There’s a balance.
I know that many will still have big feelings about this and want to disagree, and argue their side. Plus it’s easy to shout about it in the comment section. We do appreciate the feedback and especially when it comes with reason and compassion. We are happy that our creative community is passionate about keeping LEO in original art. However, sometimes there is no time, and how many asks is too many? Facts is facts. Funny enough, one of the comments disliked the AI art but also that there were human proofreading errors. We really liked that one for its cognitive dissonance. Damn the human hands for making a mistake… how dare you let the computer create an adequate representation of moldy steak.
I am an artist in addition to my work at LEO and as much as I love to share my work with the community, if I were being asked repeatedly to give, give, give, there would be a hard limit. Art isn’t just an altruistic pursuit, it is also a pursuit of commerce and self-sustenance.
If a corporation, no matter how loved, asks you for your free labor, how willing are you to offer it?
So think of AI as a tool that the writer has taken the time to create a prompt for that then gives the output they desire. It isn’t completely unskilled.
AI is developing, and we all have particular fears and reservations about its use. For us, AI learning to write articles could have meant the end of our jobs. We believed that for a while but AI is faulty and best used for minor tasks like creating an image of a moldy steak.
The aim here isn’t to defend AI or to make our choice seem superior, but to put this in perspective. We’re not going to beg our local arts community endlessly for free labor. Period. That goes against our ethics more than creating the occasional AI image as an illustration. Labor should be paid and supported and we’re doing well that our freelancers keep writing for the tiny bit they are given.
If a LEO filled with the hands of local illustrators, writers, and creatives is what you want… that means more dollars. We want that, too. Really. Here’s how we get it: buy ads, come to the events, visit our other advertisers, and support through your sponsorship, memberships (possible in the future).
AI is simply a tool and we’re going to use all tools available to us to continue to bring you LEO.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 12, 2024.
