Dear Hysterical Technophobes: Please shut up about generative AI

[ZedClampet]

Almost every demo of a game with poor graphics now has technophobes in literal hysterics over the use of generative AI. Please just stop.

The technophobes are picking on the wrong people. Even if some of these games are using generative AI, you have to understand that most of these developers are hobbyists and doing it in their spare time and probably don't have the resources to pay artists. Generative AI is a valid tool for these people. If they weren't using generative AI, they'd probably be using free assets. What's the difference? No one is getting paid either way.

Large corporations like EA, on the other hand, can afford to pay for artists and need to be doing that. Go pick on them and leave these poor amateur developers alone.

 

[Pifanjr]

AI art has been turned into another one of those "us vs. them" things, where "us" are the good guys and "them" are the enemy and "if you're not with us, you're against us".

No room for nuance and no mercy.

 

[ZedClampet]

I used to think the best way to avoid these mobs was to not do an "almost realistic but weird" 3D game. To be clear, most of these games are just using bad assets from the asset store, and a couple of years ago all these same people would be calling these games an "asset flip". Now they've decided they are using generative AI instead.

However, I just came from playing a demo of a game with a very distinct art style that was very evidently not generative AI, and there was still one guy railing about how the developer was destroying the art community by using generative AI. He was especially mad that the developer hadn't disclosed this usage on their front page.

I felt a strong urge to kick him in the nether region.

 

[Colif]

Labelling people who use computers to complain about these things "Technophobes" is erroneous.
True, they probably don't realise it themselves as many people think using the internet doesn't count. Its always been there, its like air. Same with their phones...
Technophobes by definition wouldn't be on the internet... depends how extreme their beliefs are, they might be making the Amish look modern.
Technology encompasses everything we have ever created. They might have fire if they kept the stick burning
I hope they like their cave (technically spears and stone tools are technology but its hard to live without something)

Also, in this definition, is phobia a fear or a hatred? As the dictionary shows word means fear but for some reason its now hatred... So I have acrophobia, I don't hate heights, I just don't like them that much... it doesn't work with all words. Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders, but I don't hate all of them... just most of them.

Anyway, back on the actual topic:

I agree with you that they should only pick on the large companies and leave small teams alone. Almost like they don't want to bite the hand that feeds. Easier to pick on the little guy. Less chance of being called out.

these technophobes are just people who woke up and needed something to be outraged by. Shame they trying to hold back a wave with a pair of toothpicks.

 

[ZedClampet]

Labelling people who use computers to complain about these things "Technophobes" is erroneous.
True, they probably don't realise it themselves as many people think using the internet doesn't count. Its always been there, its like air. Same with their phones...
Technophobes by definition wouldn't be on the internet... depends how extreme their beliefs are, they might be making the Amish look modern.
Technology encompasses everything we have ever created. They might have fire if they kept the stick burning
I hope they like their cave (technically spears and stone tools are technology but its hard to live without something)

Also, in this definition, is phobia a fear or a hatred? As the dictionary shows word means fear but for some reason its now hatred... So I have acrophobia, I don't hate heights, I just don't like them that much... it doesn't work with all words. Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders, but I don't hate all of them... just most of them.

Anyway, back on the actual topic:

I agree with you that they should only pick on the large companies and leave small teams alone. Almost like they don't want to bite the hand that feeds. Easier to pick on the little guy. Less chance of being called out.

these technophobes are just people who woke up and needed something to be outraged by. Shame they trying to hold back a wave with a pair of toothpicks.

According to the definition I got when I searched on Google, a technophobe doesn't fear/hate technology, they just fear/hate new technology. But that is probably still too broad. How about aiphobes? That's all I have at the moment.

Anyway, in this case, I think the fear came first followed by the hate, which is probably how a lot of these "not actual phobias" that people keep coming up with work.

Edit: I asked CoPilot, and it said "AI-phobes"

As far as the original post goes, people seem to think that AI is going to replace artists. Maybe for an AI game generator that would be the case, but it would be replacing everyone, not just artists.

But in terms of traditional game development, AI is just a tool for artists. You still have to have the artists. Of course, that's if it is used correctly. I think a lot of companies are still feeling their way forward on this.

 

[Colif]

perhaps some are aspiring artists who see their entire dreams shattered by someone else being able to type "Bright Octarine colored Hippo dressed in a tutu on Mars" into a browser and create something better than they ever could.

I don't hate or fear AI but I also don't use it. I don''t really feel that I need it. But then I am not an artist.