At the intersection of AI and human creativity

In
a world where artificial intelligence can now create art in seconds,
what happens to the soul of human creativity—and the artists who
pour their hearts into their work?

Creative
Australia has released a major report on the working lives of
Australian artists that shows
it is
now harder than ever for professional artists to make a living. In
despite of the fact they are generally highly educated, highly
skilled, and that Australians deeply
value their
contribution.

The
incomes earned by professional artists are dismally low.
Research funded by Creative Australia shows in the 2021–22
financial year, artists’ income from creative work averaged only
A$23,200. This excludes sick leave, holiday pay and super
and, on top of this, every meeting we have, every quote we put in,
every grant we write we are doing it on our own time, without any
remuneration. Even
when other sources of income are added – such as from teaching or
working outside the arts – the average gross income of Australian
artists was still only $54,500 in the year. In comparison with the
$73,300 average yearly earnings of all employed people in Australia,
artists’ earnings were significantly lower. Like many
other professionals and workers in Australia, artists engage in
continuous learning and mastering new techniques and concepts to
advance their practice. That isn’t enough to live on, yet a culture
of secrecy and government ineptitude keeps the struggle out of view
and how artists actually support themselves.

Artists
are more
highly educated than
the workforce at large. Three-quarters hold a university degree,
compared with only 36% in the wider labour force, and more than 40%
of artists also hold a postgraduate degree, compared with 30% of all
Australian professionals. Given
these levels of training, the extent of artists’ forgone income can
be estimated by comparing their income with those of professional
workers such as lawyers, doctors and accountants who have similar
levels of training, qualifications and experience. Data compiled
by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for different occupational
groups Australia-wide show in the 2021–22 year, the average
income of
professional workers was $98,700.

Based on data from an ongoing economic study
supported by Creative Australia. The mean income of an artist from
their core creative practice in 1986/1987 was $26,000. In 2022, 36
years later the latest survey indicates a mean income of just
$23,000. A reduction by $3000. When adjusted for inflation over that
time period, they should have been earning $77,380 per year from
their core arts practice in 2022. Placing the average artist in
charge of subsiding the arts sector and national economy by $54,380
per year through in-kind labour.

While the
incomes of Australian artists have stagnated over the years, their
expenses related to their artistic practice have been increasing
dramatically. In the 2021–22 financial year, artists spent an
average of 73% of their artistic income on expenses related to
producing their work.

Professional
artists, whose working conditions were already precarious, were
particularly hit bad by the covid pandemic and lockdowns. By the end
of 2022, only one-third of all artists had fully returned to their
working hours prior to covid, with just over half partially returned
or in the process of doing so. 16% did not believe they would be able
to return to their previous working hours as an artist.

Having
a second day job is ​regarded as a necessity, and the resulting
pressures and rates of mental and physical health implications are
amplified and swept under the rug. In Some instances
professional artists may find that they are over qualified for a job
while those same employers may prefer to seek young artists and
graduates who can be moulded or taken advantage of through
internships, lack of worker rights and inexperience of the industry.
Many of these positions are advertised as an opportunity for new
artists to build a portfolio and client relationships in lieu of fair
renumeration.

The
arts sector would benefit from a shift towards greater government and
banking transparency. Especially in light of the barrage of cuts to
the sector over the years, if we don’t speak frankly about our
finances and the associated challenges, artists will continue to be
shut out from funding and any ability to develop a sustainable career
contributing to Australia’s culture, as well as look after themselves
and their family in the process. People will simply give up on their
creative pursuits as the financial incentive erodes. Could culture be
reduced to a loop of mass-regurgitated Ai generated click-bait
brain-rot?

Freelance websites
and the gig economy

Freelancing
websites such as Freelancer, Upwork or Fiverr pride themselves on
providing access to a large number of professional artists where each
artist is pitted against one another in a Hunger-games style race to
the bottom of price de-valuation. Artists must compete against other
professional and amateur artists living in third world developing
countries, each attempting to outbid one another for the promise of a
new project and pay. Each person promising more than any professional
artist could realistically deliver on time. Typically, businesses
avoid direct competition, but these websites actively encourage it on
their platforms and base their entire model on direct competition,
adding further downward pressure on pricing.

There are no
protections in place for artists or workers in the gig economy from
the effects of globalization and commodification. Local freelance
websites are another option to consider but the job boards are not as
active and the websites may lack functionality making them
practically unusable. Reddit, the front page of the internet, has
subreddit forums specifically for art job postings and artists for
hire but their pricing is similar to that of Fiverr and other
freelance websites. In the FAQ section, Reddit urges artists to price
their artwork no lower than $30 a piece for non commercial work,
despite this, many amateur artists price themselves even lower.

Artists in the
gig economy face several struggles that impact their financial
stability and well-being. One major issue is the lack of financial
planning and education, as gig economy workers are responsible for
handling all aspects of their business, including legal, financial,
and marketing, which traditional employees would typically receive
support for from their employers. This can lead to financial
insecurity and stress, especially when there are slow seasons with
less spending and income, such as the period following an expensive
Christmas time.

Another significant challenge is the
precarious nature of work, which can be isolating and lonely. The
glamorization of the gig economy as a flexible and rewarding
lifestyle often overlooks the reality that many artists struggle
with. They may face issues like no sick pay, no employer pension
contributions, and economic dependence on their current gig, leading
to risk-averse behaviours.

Moreover, the
gig economy can lead to burnout, particularly in the music industry.
Musicians often have to take on secondary jobs to survive, and the
expectation to produce constant content can spread artists’ ideas and
creativity incredibly thinly. This can result in mental health issues
and career burnout, with some artists turning to other professions to
maintain their well-being.

Lastly, there is the issue of
misclassification, where businesses classify employees as contractors
to save money. This can lead to artists missing out on state and
federal employment laws that provide protections and benefits to
employees. Determining misclassification can be difficult due to the
lack of a single body of law to follow, making it challenging for
artists to assert their rights.

It is an
industry with a culture and expectation of low and unpaid labour that
can be viewed as systemic or institutionalized exploitation.
Ultimately, the artists are the key financial investors in keeping
the industry afloat, yet unlike typical investors they have no agency
in directing the industry’s future

AI and mass-scale
copyright theft

Legacy media
occasionally grants the subject of low artist pay and a collapsing
art sector the attention it deserves but often ends by promoting the
notion of a ‘universal basic income’. UBI is being piloted in some
countries and for the first time ever is now being taught in an
Australian Sydney University.

It’s an enticing thought that
Billionaire technocrats would be kind enough to pay their fair share
in tax after the enormous government subsidies they received and
backing from Microsoft and the United Nations to achieve such rapid
advancement of ai. This rapid advancement aided and facilitated by
the mass-scale theft of copyright images and data harvested from
databases and the web by non-profit AI shell companies. This Data was
then used by for profit companies such as OpenAi to develop the AI
software that makes all the cool pretty pictures that have become so
common and cheap today.

The
explanation of how AI could ever realistically fund a global UBI
social program falls short and the unintended consequences of
inflation and mass job-loss due to ai automation are left for the tax
payers to ponder. Will this be another pie in the sky social program
designed to enrich the politicians and corporations who draft the
legislation in backroom deals? There is no doubt in my mind however
that artists should be fairly compensated But to suggest that we
should expand Centrelink in to some global UBI program seems too soon
to me, though. Centrelink needs an overhaul from its primitive
Carrot-and-stick points system which punishes welfare recipients for
their inability to follow through on their contractual obligations,
such as finding work. But what if those job opportunities are
dwindling in your area because your government sent manufacturing
overseas where it would save costs?

Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer
and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence
systems later said he believed those practices violated copyright
law. He was 26. Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before
quitting in August. He had been well-regarded by colleagues and one
of OpenAI’s strongest contributors who was essential to developing
some of its products. He was set to stand in court and provide
evidence against the company he worked for before passing away on 26
November. Suchir Balaji, listed in court filing as having ‘relevant
documents’ about copyright violation.

In a utopian
Star-Trek post scarcity society fever dream, maybe AI and UBI will
one day be the saviours the media, governments and technocrats such
as the WEF advisor Yaval Harari make them out to be. But often
history shows that socialism sends a country further into debt and in
extreme cases, communism. Eventually you run out of other peoples
money, people leave the country and government bureaucracy leaves a
wake of destruction. in their dance with, AI, corporatism,
Militarisation and centralisation. Most people seem to enjoy living
in service to their community, granted that they are renumerated or
compensated fairly. There are still dangerous jobs that could be
automated, but was art, culture, creativity and media one of them?

Supporting local artists in your community is crucial for fostering
creativity, preserving culture, and sustaining a vibrant artistic
ecosystem. When you choose to purchase art from local artists, you
are not only investing in their talent and hard work but also
contributing to the cultural and economic growth of your community.

One way to support
local artists is by visiting online or local markets and purchasing
artwork from Australian independent artists in your area. By
supporting independent artists, you are helping to promote Australian
art and culture while also ensuring that local artists have the means
to display and sell their creations.

Communities and
businesses play a crucial role in nurturing local talent and helping
artists gain recognition within their community. Businesses and
communities provide artists with the opportunity to grow their
practice and participate in projects that grow the community such as
sign-writing, murals, workshops, networking events, and allowing them
to connect with other artists and businesses within the community.

By hiring and
working with local artists and purchasing artwork from independent
artists, you are not only supporting individual artists but also
contributing to the overall growth and development of the local art
scene and wider community.

In addition to supporting local artists,
purchasing artwork from Hungarian and Australian artists also allows
you to own unique and one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect their rich
cultural heritage.

Moreover,
supporting local artists and Hungarian artwork galleries can have a
positive impact on the local economy. By purchasing artwork from
these galleries, you are helping to create jobs, stimulate economic
activity, and promote tourism in your community. In addition,
supporting local artists can also lead to greater diversity and
innovation in the arts, as artists are encouraged to develop their
skills and experiment with new techniques and styles.

Overall,
supporting local artists is essential for preserving cultural
heritage, fostering creativity, and promoting economic growth in your
community. By choosing to purchase artwork from local artists, you
are not only investing in their talent but also contributing to the
overall well-being of your community. So next time you are looking to
add a new piece of art to your collection, consider finding and
supporting the talented artists in your community.

For
more information visit: Kiraly Art
https://www.kiralyart.com/