When was the last time you pulled out a physical dictionary to research the definition of a word? Do you remember the skill of searching through words in alphabetical order and figuring out which page it could be on based on the margin words? If you’re feeling nostalgic about the use of a physical dictionary, then you can imagine the extent of technological evolution since then, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in our ever-growing world.
AI is a field of science focused on developing computers and machines that can learn, think, and act in ways that mimic or even surpass human intelligence. While AI has infiltrated many aspects of our world, its use has sparked controversy, particularly among Black artists. For some, AI is a valuable tool that enhances the creation of art. It can assist with research, outline writing, or provide samples and examples of graphics, videos, or photos. However, many artists oppose the implementation of AI, believing it diminishes creativity and strips away empathy.
Jeneba Wint, an AI strategist, keynote speaker, and founder of Bloomology, a branding agency, sees AI’s potential as limitless. She believes it allows individuals to leverage their intellectual property and expand upon it. By using AI alongside her own intelligence, she gains a distinct advantage.
“I leverage AI as a brainstorming partner. It’s a real-time research assistant,” Wint tells GU. “I like to say AI and human intelligence, or my own intelligence plus artificial intelligence, equals enhanced intelligence. AI makes the impossible possible at record speed, with accuracy and fluency that no other tool has been able to achieve in our lifetime.”
For storytellers across various mediums, AI can also offer valuable support. Angela Hollowell, a film director, writer, and founder of Rootful Media, a media company, explains that AI helps her brainstorm ideas, identify gaps in her articles, film pitches, and scripts. However, it doesn’t diminish the human connection she has with her audience.
“As storytellers, we should still be engaging with our community to understand what stories they actually want and which ones resonate with them,” she adds. “AI can’t fix a bad idea or cure an incomplete or underdeveloped story.”
Similarly, Wint emphasizes that the heart of storytelling lies in emotion and feeling. While AI excels at data research, it struggles to create compelling narratives or truly empathize with humans. Storytellers have a unique ability to take the lived experiences of people and craft them into narratives that evoke emotion and understanding.
“We have to remember that storytelling is not just about stringing words together,” Wint says. “It’s about empathy, cultural context, experiences, and emotional art. AI isn’t really strong in this area because that’s our job as humans.”
Another significant concern about AI is its potential to steal ideas from creators. Most content generated by AI comes from the internet, and during the training phase, AI systems are often fed data from publicly available sources. For artists and storytellers who have published work, AI can take their existing creations and remix them into something that appears “new.” This is a major turn-off for many artists, as it often results in work that closely mirrors their original creations. Additionally, the use of AI often exposes Black storytellers to the technology’s inherent biases, according to Wint. These biases show up in facial recognition, data systems, and language models. Since the data AI uses comes from biased sources, the results generated are often shaped by these same biases.
“If AI is using training data that’s skewed, the output will reflect and amplify those biases,” Wint explains. “There’s so much embedded bias, racism, and inequality in the world, so it’s natural to be hesitant about using technology that’s built on these flawed data sets. The Black community has historically been the recipient of these injustices, and it hasn’t benefited from these technologies.”
As AI technology continues to evolve, its impact is being felt across all industries. While the choice to use it remains personal, its limits should be acknowledged, and it should primarily be used as a tool to assist in the creative process.