By Chris Snellgrove | Published
One of the strangely persistent debates of the modern world is whether AI can create art. Of course, you can type information into ChatGPT or any number of AI platforms and have a unique image in seconds. But while the image is technically different, it's not exactly the original. The AI was trained on every photo it could fit its little gears into, so you don't get a one-of-a-kind photo. Instead, you get a mishmash of one or more artists' styles that the AI bot puts together as completely original art.
The debate on this issue is heated because both sides are very much against each other. AI brothers say this technology democratizes art, making it possible for anyone to share their vision with the world. Traditional artists, on the other hand, say that art has always been democratic and that AI is just a soulless way to learn to paint. While ChatGPT and other AI productivity platforms are new, this debate dates back decades, and in two forgotten episodes of Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe android executive data reminds us of the limits of AI creativity.
To Tell or Not to Tell
One such example comes from the episode “The Defector,” which begins with Data and Captain Picard impersonating Shakespeare. Henry V on the holodeck. After Data gives a surprisingly strong performance, Picard praises the android performance. However, Data is defiant and admits that his acting was a combination of other actors who played the role. He tells Picard, “I plan to read the plays of Olivier, Branagh, Shapiro, [and] Kullnark.” The captain replies that although Shakespeare is perfect “to learn about the human condition…you must find it by your own doing, not by imitating others.”
This episode first aired in 1990, but Picard's discussion is relevant to our modern AI debate. Data, ideally, is doing what artificial intelligence has always done: piecing together the work of several different artists. It looks like an original act at first, which is why Picard applauds. But after finding out what Data has done, he criticizes the android for stringing several concerts together and calling it a day. After all, he won't progress as an artist if he doesn't take the time to develop his own style instead of cheating all the schoolwork.
Picard Entered the Conversation
This clearly reflects our modern discourse about productive AI. As an avid follower of Shakespeare, Picard understands that what made those former actors so great was that they found ways to shape their future. Henry V. If those actors weren't just trying to copy others, then acting is meaningless.
The discussion about the art of creating data is similar to another discussion in the previous episode “The Ensigns of Command.” When Picard tells the android that his recent violin performance “shows emotion,” Data corrects him. “Simply speaking, sir, it's not my game. It's an exact imitation of the techniques of Jascha Heifetz and Trenka Bronken.” Picard insists that Data has created something original because he has successfully combined two very different functions. Reluctantly, Data recommends, telling his boss “I've learned the art … if need be.”
At this point, the AI brothers may think that Captain Picard is on their side. After all, he argues that by choosing to combine two different artists, Data is actually combining something new, like “emergent engineers” feed a bunch of conflicting ideas on ChatGPT and hope for the best. The main difference, however, is that Data still had to pull out the violin and successfully do this thing himself. Picard considers Data an artist because the android actually makes art. So-called agile developers don't; they just ask the computer to do something cool and take the credit.
Computer: End Program
To keep our Star Trek in frame, think of it this way: simply telling a computer to draw a picture is like an Enterprise crewman telling the holodeck to create an outer vista. Obviously, it takes others the level of thought to generate an idea and tell it to the ship's computer. But employees don't have to plan anything or provide anything because Enterprise does all the hard work for them. That's why, in the distant future of the 24th century, no one calls themselves an expert by barking a sentence or two into a computer when they're bored.
Unfortunately, the world is not so enlightened in this 21st century. The world's laziest people type a single sentence into a glorified search engine and treat the resulting abomination of beauty as a stunningly brilliant and original piece of art. Even after that, they get upset if you don't treat them like serious artists who spend their whole lives perfecting their craft. As it turns out, both now and in the future, there is one thing that AI can produce: the approval of some of these tech brethren that they desperately need!
