Why do people pay for art portraits when they can already take pictures instead? Shoot, clients often give artists pictures to use as reference to make portrait drawings. People can already add graphite drawing filters to their pictures, to imitate the look of a pencil drawing. But why do people still choose artists these days?

The reason as I understand it is because there’s value in having a portrait drawn by an artist. Its singular , flawed and unique, and the technique and skill behind the art gives it value. An AI artist that can imitate that but the end result will be as disposable as a picture taken by an iphone.

So I wonder if the “job” of the artist really will go away. People already don’t buy art for the end result, but the process instead.

The fact that it can run at all, and maintain its balance while holding and reacting to the shifting weight of a toolbag is amazing. And to cap everything off with a well executed flip. Wow.

And they wont need to sleep, take lunch breaks, take sick days, ask for raises, unionize or need healthcare. They’ll just work on whatever project they’re given until completion.

I wonder if AI might be the answer to the Fermi paradox. If AGI is inevitable and likely exponential when it happens, then maybe most civilizations that create it won’t last long after its creation. Whether that be because of self-destruction, annihilation by the Ai or absorption/enlightenment, the result is the end of that progenitor species. A highly advanced AI might not want to seek contact with other lesser intelligent lifeforms.