I'm an environmentalist myself and have been involved in countless discussions on how to address environmental issues. And I don't use any AI right now in my own posts. But I can't promise I won't share AI images. They are too pervasive right now.

Rick, I've liked and enjoyed countless things you've posted in the past. And I take everything you say seriously. If someone used AI unethically to rip off artists for revenue, I'd be more than happy to join you in solidarity to oppose it.

If you want to talk about proposals on how to address these issues, I'd be more than happy to read your thoughts.

Rick, I'm sorry that you're frustrated with all the changes to the digital landscape, and I am too. I'd much rather see interesting, soul-driven, authentic art. Maybe it just isn't clear to you that I've read a lot about all the points you address. I'm just wondering about priorities and solutions.

Essentially, I take the Bernie Sanders position that AI is here, it's not going away, but it needs to be regulated to help regular people. That will not happen under Laissez-faire economics. And we have all sorts of energy consumption issues. I'm just wondering about the best way to address them.

So I think we share the same basic concerns. But I'd like to see proposals on how to address these concerns. And I wonder if it really should be top priority to focus on scolding everyone who uses all the various AI apps.

You're losing me with "it's still theft regardless". It MAY be theft, but some artists willfully circulate their work on the internet and are not interested in controlling how it circulates. There are also entire libraries of images that are generated as being royalty-free and copyright free.

I'd be very interested in proposals to how it can all be rectified. In theory, I could have my own AI program that generates my own images based only on my own art and photos. So I really don't see issues with apps as long as they're not referencing art that artists don't want referenced.

So I'm not going to start blackballing thoughtful, interesting people I may meet because I see AI generated pictures in their posts. But I would be mightily pissed about someone selling plagiarized artwork to a magazine.

I will try to write more about this in the future. (4/4)

I interact with countless people over the Internet and will undoubtedly meet many new people as the midterms approach. And I'm sure many of them will be using AI imagery. I don't choose who I interact with solely on the basis of whether or not they use AI generated programs. (3/4)

But sharing an image on the internet isn't the same thing as selling a pirated cover to The New Yorker.

I'm not a Luddite or a technophobe, but the problem with the various AI programs is that they're potentially violating copyrights and generating revenue that isn't shared with the creators. (2/3)

If I had the bandwidth today, I could write and publish a long essay on all the issues surrounding AI, but I don't, so a few quick comments will have to suffice.

I'm certainly not advocating that artists have their work stolen from them by AI programs to be used in magazines and movies. (1/2)

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
This little piggy went
Wee, wee in his pants
all the way to Gitmo.