Artificial intelligence (AI) is making rapid advances in the field of art, creating new possibilities and challenges for artists and audiences alike. However, the use of AI in art also sparks a debate between those who fear the loss of human creativity and those who welcome the potential benefits of these emerging technologies.
This debate intensified after the development of generative AI, which has amazing capabilities that were once considered science fiction. For example, this type of AI can replicate the style, image, and voice of any artist, whether they are alive or dead. Imagine listening to a new song by Umm Kulthum, the legendary Egyptian singer who died in 1975. This was the idea of composer Amr Mostafa, who planned to hold a concert featuring Umm Kulthum singing his tunes. However, his project was canceled after facing strong opposition from various sectors of Egyptian society. Similarly, a group of experts used AI to create a new painting in the style of Rembrandt, the Dutch master who died in 1669, as if he had painted it 350 years later.
These examples show that AI is entering every aspect of life, including the art industry in all its forms. Therefore, the authorities and stakeholders of all creative sectors must work together to establish clear and fair regulations for the use of these programs, to protect the rights of every artist and creator, and to prevent the misuse and abuse of AI in art. In the following lines, we will present some of the opinions of experts and artists who shared their views on this topic with us.
The audience is the judge
Critic Tarek El-Shenawy says: We have witnessed an extremely rapid development of artificial intelligence in many fields. This includes the world of cinema, where we have heard about several attempts to resurrect the cinema legend Marilyn Monroe, who died in the early sixties of the last century. This is done by feeding artificial intelligence with her work and then producing a new work that combines all these inputs.
International star Tom Hanks welcomed the idea and considered it a good opportunity to increase his artistic legacy after his death. The same applies to the world of writing, whether it is poetry, a novel, a story, or a screenplay. A team of specialists can feed the device with the vocabulary and works of a specific writer or poet, and the device can produce a new work by this writer with a new idea.
This is not a new phenomenon, even before the emergence of artificial intelligence, some people stole the vocabulary of poets such as Ahmed Fouad Najm and Al-Abnoudi and presented works that were falsely attributed to them. Here, the reader must distinguish between the real and the fake. In the end, artificial intelligence will dominate and all the slogans against it will vanish with the wind.
No feelings
Iconic actress Yousra said: “Using artificial intelligence in artistic works, like anything else, has its pros and cons. But for me, I see that its cons outweigh its pros. This is because many people find it easy and use it in their various works. If we assume that artificial intelligence produces a good product, then that product will inevitably lack soul and feeling. Therefore, AI can be used for anything except creating living models of flesh and blood.”
Limited
Egyptian actress and presenter Safaa Abu Al-Saud said: “I love technological development and I am very happy with its achievements, but the issue of using it in making art, I think that is a limited matter. This is because, from my point of view, I see that only those who use artificial intelligence are incapable of presenting an artistic work. For me, if I found a song of mine presented by artificial intelligence and I did not like it, I would reject it and announce that publicly and in front of everyone.”
Regulations
Egyptian actress and producer Bushra said: “Artificial intelligence is inevitable, and unfortunately some underestimate it, and I tell them to be careful not to underestimate themselves because they will soon be shocked by its rapid progress. Many people know that cinema has used this artificial intelligence in more than one artistic work, as well as singing.
“Therefore, we must work hard to know how to deal with it and establish regulating rules for it according to our ability and capacity to face it. The fingerprint of any artist’s voice can be used in any sound studio. Therefore, people should be careful and not believe everything they hear. Hence, this matter must be regulated, the proper way to deal with it should be determined, and the focus should be on taking advantage of the positive side.”
It failed in the US
Scriptwriter Magdy Saber says: “Artificial intelligence in the field of scriptwriting failed in America, the country that invented it, and therefore it cannot achieve success elsewhere. This automated program can only paraphrase old works by the same writer, and thus what results is a manufactured, duplicate copy, devoid of feelings and emotions, and thus of creativity. Therefore, the artificial mind cannot be equal to the human mind, and inevitably the human creator is the master of the situation, and no machine will undermine his status as a pure divine talent. On the other hand, we can benefit from this artificial intelligence if there is a talented writer who takes the output of this device and reformulates it suitably and acceptably as a creative work. In the end, this artificial intelligence, no matter how great its capabilities, cannot replace the creative writer.
Exaggeration
Screenwriter Samir El-Gamal says: “This works on the side of failures, those who steal, and those without talent, as it makes something that was difficult for them easier and reduces their suffering. Art is essentially a divine gift in the form of talents, all of which aim to advance humanity through sensations, feelings, morals, values, customs, and traditions. All of this appears in the writer’s creativity and distinguishes between one creator and another. This is because each of them has its character and shape. Therefore, a human being and this intelligence that was created by another human being cannot be equal either. We all do not deny that we have always heard about scientific progress in space and earth sciences and everything in between, but we all currently see the inability of the inhabitants of the Earth to confront the heat wave that is attacking the countries of the West, which is new to them and they have not seen it before. That is, technology and artificial intelligence, their science did not protect them from being burned in the flames of high temperatures.
“I think that there are many exaggerations in the rumors that artificial intelligence will write the script and will outperform the human creator. All of this will prove to be a failure, and what man creates cannot outperform the human being himself. A robot will not be able to be as creative as Youssef Sibai, Beethoven, Naguib Mahfouz, or other creative people. Therefore, this can succeed in industry, even though the one who feeds the machine is also a human being. In the end, artificial intelligence technology cannot threaten the true creator who has mastery of his tools. Artificial intelligence only represents an opportunity for thieves and half-talents.”
No effect
Writer and screenwriter Magda Khairallah says: “I believe that artificial intelligence cannot influence the work of the screenwriter because his work requires many elements of creativity. Creativity in general requires human experience, and no matter how much you provide artificial intelligence with information, where does it get its sense and personal experience? Not all things can be managed with technology because many things involve creativity and in which a machine can never replace the creator.
“Twenty years ago we heard that they would compose music using the computer, and that has not happened until now because this is a human product of sensation and feelings. A creative person can benefit from technology by, for example, speaking and the machine converts his words into writing, thus saving him effort and time. However, this machine, no matter how advanced it is, cannot create creative work that surpasses the creative person.”
Wide Impact
Screenwriter Mohamed Salama has a different opinion. He claims that artificial intelligence will have a huge impact on the whole creative process especially on the writing and scriptwriters. He says that some programs can create a scenario from A to Z based on an idea or a brief dramatic treatment. He also says that the American film industry has stopped doing live casting and relies on the computer to do it. They feed it information that is specific to each character and the device selects the best for them. He thinks that this will affect those who do not try to improve themselves and their ideas and enhance their talent, as this is what artificial intelligence cannot do. He warns that those who do not adapt will be swept away by the powerful waves of technology.
