WotC Would you buy WotC products produced or enhanced with AI?

[ezo]

If WotC ever made anything again that appealed to me I would get it, AI or not. As I don't see that happening anytime soon, I don't have much stake in it.

As for the "AI" component, I don't care. AI is here to stay and I am happy for it. I use it often in my own games and frankly don't care if a company uses it for commerical products or not.

Yes, AI "learns" from real artists, but so what... that is what REAL artists do as well... learn from those who came before them. Some even copy them directly and if they're "caught" face legal issues. AI and companies that use it should face the same. If an artist can prove AI copied them to the degree a real artist could claim another real artist forged their work, then great. Otherwise, it is no different than dealing with a real-life artist stealing your work.

Yes, AI will make it so some people lose their jobs. Again, so what? This happens with every major technological advancement throughout history. A good real artist will still find those who want authentic real art and not AI-created and will pay for real artwork.

 

[Morrus]

Yes that's true. The inappropriate application of generative llms can lead to worse results than traditional strategies. There's a lot of hype and people are testing the bounds of these approaches, and it's not surprising they often fail. The transformer paper is only what, 8 years old?

And its appropriate application can lead to substantial improvements. This is not just in search. The recent Nobel Prize in Chemistry was for innovations in protein folding that makes use of...transformers (is this "AI slop"?) This tool is not a replacement for humans, but it can substantially enhance what we can do.

You’re talking about different things. AI slop refers to generative AI making “creative” (by which I mean regurgitated) works. Primarily art, but there are dire AI novels and articles out there too.

There are, of course, other, valid, uses for AI. That does not preclude the existence of AI slop.

 

[J.Quondam]

One is never forced to accept it. One might have to make many sacrifices to not though.

To be sure, being forced to sacrifice vs being forced to accept isn't actually a choice. Suggesting that is just a variation on the "You critique society, yet you live in it" fallacy.

 

[Morrus]

Yes, AI will make it so some people lose their jobs. Again, so what? This happens with every major technological advancement throughout history. A good real artist will still find those who want authentic real art and not AI-created and will pay for real artwork.

Because art is good for society. Even if you don’t care about the artists (but why don’t you?), do you really want to live in a world where there is no new art? No new music? No new stories? No new movies? Just the same regurgitated slop over and over and over again?

Humans can imagine. AI can only reproduce.

We, as a world, a society, and a species, need art.

 

[ezo]

Because art is good for society. Even if you don’t care about the artists (but why don’t you?), do you really want to live in a world where there is no new art? No new music? No new stories? No new movies? Just the same regurgitated slop over and over and over again?

Humans can imagine. AI can only reproduce.

We, as a world, a society, and a species, need art.

but please refrain from calling each other out. I know this can be a hot topic, but I am genuinely curious about your personal view.

 

[Scribe]

Yes that's true. The inappropriate application of generative llms can lead to worse results than traditional strategies. There's a lot of hype and people are testing the bounds of these approaches, and it's not surprising they often fail. The transformer paper is only what, 8 years old?

And its appropriate application can lead to substantial improvements. This is not just in search. The recent Nobel Prize in Chemistry was for innovations in protein folding that makes use of...transformers (is this "AI slop"?) This tool is not a replacement for humans, but it can substantially enhance what we can do.

Once again, this is shifting the goal posts.

 

[TravDoc42]

No. Not only is there the Big Ethical Issues, I also find most "AI art" to just be substandard and derivative, which makes sense given how it's made.

I'd vastly prefer something made by human hands, even if it's not my favourite style, to the Slop.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Because art is good for society. Even if you don’t care about the artists (but why don’t you?), do you really want to live in a world where there is no new art? No new music? No new stories? No new movies? Just the same regurgitated slop over and over and over and over again?

Let's look at the most creative part of WotC designs: adventures. I have been creating adventures for my group for 20+ years and mostly not buying them, because I tend to be quite bad at running pre-written adventures (or maybe my players tend to veer off them, I suppose both sides are guilty). Honestly, I don't think WotC publishing AI-created adventure will change my way of making adventures. I don't expect to stop creating content because there is AI content available. I think many, many gamemasters are like me. I might be wrong, but I don't see the removal of published adventures by WotC being more than a dent into the number of adventures actually run by GMs in the world. We will lose publicity for these works (any published campaign is more visible than any home campaign), but I don't think we'll be losing a lot in global proportion of works created.

 

[Morrus]

Let's look at the most creative part of WotC designs: adventures. I have been creating adventures for my group for 20+ years and mostly not buying them, because I tend to be quite bad at running pre-written adventures (or maybe my players tend to veer off them, I suppose both sides are guilty). Honestly, I don't think WotC publishing AI-created adventure will change my way of making adventures. I don't expect to stop creating content because there is AI content available. I think many, many gamemasters are like me. I might be wrong, but I don't see the removal of published adventures by WotC being more than a dent into the number of adventures actually run by GMs in the world. We will lose publicity for some of those works, but I don't think we'll be losing a lot in global proporition of work created.

My post was about the broader concept of art’s place in society.

The fact that you found somebody who made art you personally don’t like and/or need doesn’t obviate that.

I don’t like cartoons much. It doesn’t mean that art as a concept needs to go away. Or even the more narrow category of TV as a concept.

 

[FrogReaver]

Words having meaning? Sure. What you describe is equally neither a publisher nor an ice cream. It's a completely new thing with little to no relation to either.

In case it wasn’t clear I said that so we could move on. But since we are still here then let’s dig a little deeper.

What does a publisher do? The AI says

A publisher is responsible for preparing and managing the distribution of books and other materials. They often work with magazines and books but can also work with journals and music production. Publishers typically supervise or advise writers and creators and receive direction from creative directors and publishing managers.

Publishers have several key responsibilities:

Content Acquisition: They identify and acquire content through commissioning authors, negotiating with literary agents, or sourcing material from contributors. This helps shape the content portfolio of their organization.

Editorial Oversight: They provide editorial guidance to ensure that content meets quality standards, aligns with the publication's style and tone, and is suitable for the target audience.

Strategic Planning: They develop and implement strategic plans for the publication, considering market trends, audience preferences, and business objectives.

Production Management: They oversee the production process, including layout, design, and formatting, to ensure that the final product meets quality standards and is ready for distribution.

Distribution and Marketing: They develop and execute distribution strategies to ensure that publications reach the intended audience and collaborate with marketing teams to create promotional campaigns.

Contract Negotiation: They negotiate contracts with authors, agents, and other contributors to ensure that contractual agreements are fair and aligned with the goals of the publishing organization.

One can still acquire AI content and ensure that content meets their standards in terms of style and tone. They can still do strategic planning around market trends, business objectives and business objectives. They can still establish the desired layout and design. They will still be needed for distribution and marketing. They will also still negotiate contracts, just not directly with the creator/writer/artist.

So what exactly do you envision publishers not doing from that list if even all works were replaced by AI content?