As opposed to musicians, who seem to be chill with AI, visual artists tend to be very emotional about this topic. Their emotions are largely negative. Hence I wrote a book, to help them understand why they feel the way they feel, and what to do about it.
My book is called “Learning to Cope With AI: Anti-AI Artist’s Guide”.
It’s made for anti-AI artists who could consider making peace with AI, by looking at the reasons why this topic makes them so emotional.
Here’s one example of artists being emotional:
Here’s another one:
Why so much intensity?
Well, traditional artists like to imagine themselves as singular geniuses in a world that needs their exclusive touch, but AI challenges this by producing creations that look like they could have come from any one of us.
I guess my book might touch some nerves here and there, because it just needs to be said:
AI might be pushing us into a more honest era of creativity, one that values not just skill or style but ideas and concepts that machines can’t replicate.
Inside the book, you’ll discover:
- Why your fear of AI is really about your identity (spoiler: it’s not about the tech)
- How to transform your artistic anxiety into creative fuel
- Why your “unique artistic voice” might actually be unique after all
- Practical exercises for embracing AI without selling your creative soul
- A surprisingly effective method for giving your AI doppelgänger a metaphorical hug
I’ve also had NotebookLM generate a podcast about the book. Here it is:
And here is the transcript of the podcast:
AI Reviews Swetlana AI’s Book “Learning to Cope with AI” [NotebookLM Podcast Transcript]
All right. So, uh, anyone else just a little freaked out by all this AI art stuff, or is it just me?
I mean, it’s definitely, uh, shaking things up a bit.
Shaking things up. It’s like the whole art world is having a collective existential meltdown.
Yeah. Well, I think that’s kind of the point.
Okay. So, maybe that’s why we’re diving into this, uh, this book today, Learning to Cope by Swetlana AI.
Oh, yeah. The irony is not lost on me. An AI writing a self-help book for artists freaking out about AI.
Right. It’s like the ultimate meta gag. But uh let’s back up a sec for our listeners. Who is this Swetlana AI anyway?
So Swetlana AI is actually pretty fascinating. She’s a computational linguist, which means she understands like the nuts and bolts of language.
Okay, so she’s not just some random algorithm spitting out platitudes.
Nope, she’s also a writer. And get this, she’s got an art background, too.
So she’s like a triple threat. The AI renaissance woman,
pretty much. And in this book, she tackles six major anxieties that artists are supposedly facing thanks to AI.
Okay, so less Skynet takes over the art world and more. Dear diary, my algorithm is making me question my existence.
Exactly. It’s like a therapy session for the collective artistic ego.
All right. I mean, let’s dissect this thing. So, anxiety number one, fear of ego dissolution.
Yeah. That feeling that AI is your artistic doppelganger, churning out work in your style faster than you can say imposttor syndrome.
It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing, I don’t know, a robot version of yourself, but with better brush strokes,
right? And that can be pretty unsettling. So what Lana suggests that we try to reframe this anxiety?
Reframe it. How do you reframe the feeling that your entire artistic identity is being ripped off by a computer?
Well, she suggests thinking of AI as an extension of your creative potential. Like your shadow artist.
Your shadow artist. Okay, that sounds a little creepy.
Think of it as your evil twin but with better rendering skills.
So creepy. So instead of seeing AI as competition, we’re supposed to invite it to our next gallery opening.
She actually suggests collaborating with it. Imagine using AI to handle the technical stuff like the grunt work.
And that frees us up to focus on like the conceptual stuff, the emotions, the things that actually make art meaningful.
That’s the idea. AI becomes a tool to expand your artistic ego, not dissolve it.
I mean, I get that in theory, but a lot of artists have spent years honing their craft, mastering their technique, years of blood, sweat, and tears.
Exactly. And now they see AI spitting out photorealistic masterpieces in seconds. And it’s going to feel like a slap in the face, right? Like what’s the point of all that hard work if a computer can do it better and faster?
That’s the second anxiety Swetlana tackles. Loss of symbolic mastery.
Yeah. The feeling that you’ve spent years learning the secret handshake of your art form only to find out the robots have already hacked the system.
It’s like suddenly the robots are fluent in, I don’t know, ancient Samrian or something, and you’re still struggling with basic French.
Exactly. Swetlana argues that AI mastering technique is like a kid learning all the chess moves without understanding strategy.
So, they can move the pieces, but they can’t actually play the game, right? True mastery comes from the meaning you infuse through those techniques, the story you tell, the emotions you evoke.
It’s not just about technical prowess. It’s about something deeper.
Yeah. And that’s something AI can’t replicate.
At least not yet. But what about the fact that AI can, you know, dig up all those artistic insecurities we try to hide?
Oh, yeah. That’s a good one. Switana calls this one embracing the shadow.
So, it’s like AI is this giant fun house mirror reflecting back all our anxieties and self-doubt
pretty much. It’s like confronting your artistic demons but in pixelated form.
So, we’re talking full-blown young and nightmare fuel. I’m not sure I signed up for this.
But here’s where Swetlana flips the script. She sees AI as a tool for self-awareness.
Self-awareness. How does staring into the abyss of my artistic insecurities help me become more self-aware?
By confronting those insecurities that AI triggers, you’re forced to look at those shadow selves, those darker aspects of your creative process.
And that’s supposed to be a good thing.
According to Swetlana, yes, facing those fears helps you clarify what really matters in your art. What makes it uniquely yours?
Okay, so my AI induced existential crisis is actually a sign of artistic growth. This is starting to sound a little too newagy for me.
Well, Swetlana delves into Young’s shadow concept. The idea that integrating those hidden parts of ourselves is essential for personal growth.
Okay, but before we go fullon Yian, on our listeners. Can we at least take a break to make fun of some bad AI art? Uh,
sure, why not?
All right, let’s find some of the most hilariously bad AI art the internet has to offer.
Okay, so before we get lost in the AI art hall of shame, Swetlana has another anxiety for us to unpack. The healthy kind of narcissism.
Wait, narcissism? Isn’t that like a bad thing? You know, like I’m an artist, therefore I’m better than you kind of vibe,
right? But Swetlana is talking about the healthy kind of narcissism. The belief in your own vision, the confidence to express it. It’s what drives creativity.
Okay. How does that fit in with all this AI stuff? It feels like AI is triggering the opposite of healthy narcissism.
It’s true. AI can make artists feel threatened, like their turf is being invaded.
It’s like everyone’s suddenly building a wall around real art and demanding that AI pay for it.
Exactly. It’s that defensive kind of narcissism. But Swetlana’s point is we need to reclaim the healthy kind, the kind that celebrates our uniqueness and uses AI as a foil to refine in our own voice.
So instead of crying to our paint pallets, we should be thanking the robots for showing us how awesome we are.
It’s more about recognizing that AI challenges us to go deeper, to move beyond just mimicking a style and figure out what truly makes our art meaningful.
Okay, but can we address the elephant in the room? This whole AI thing feels like a preview of our dystopian future.
Robots taking over the world.
Exactly. They’ll steal our jobs, our art, and eventually our souls.
Islana going to give us tips on building underground art bunkers? Not quite. She dedicates a whole chapter to making peace with the future, but no bunker blueprints, unfortunately.
So, what does she say? Should we just accept our robot overlords and start painting portraits of them?
She encourages us to separate our fears about societal change from AI itself. AI is a tool just like any other. It’s how we use it that matters. Okay, but who’s doing the choosing? Maybe we should be more worried about the humans behind the AI, you know, the ones programming these things.
That’s an interesting point, and it leads to the final anxiety. Swat Lana tackles redefining creative authority.
Oh, here we go. Time to stage an art world coup and reclaim our rightful place as the masters of creativity.
Not so fast. Swetlana uses an interesting analogy here. The parent child relationship.
Okay, I’m intrigued. How does that apply to AI and art?
She says some artists see AI as this all- knowing parent figure, this authority that stifles creativity. But instead of rebelling, she argues that we should focus on differentiating ourselves. So, it’s like kids figuring out their own path, developing their own sense of self, even if their parents are like super geniuses or something.
Exactly. It’s about embracing what makes us us, even if it’s messy and unpredictable. Those are the things AI can’t replicate.
Okay. I’m starting to see a pattern here. So, what Lana seems to be saying that instead of freaking out about AI, we should be using it as a tool for self-discovery.
Yeah. It’s like, thanks robots for holding up this giant mirror to my artistic soul.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some deep thinking to do.
Exactly. So, it’s not about fighting the robots. It’s about figuring out how to dance with them.
And maybe even teach them a few new moves along the way. Who knows? Maybe AI will help us unlock some hidden creative potential we didn’t even know we had.
Hold on. Are you saying the robots are going to make us better artists?
It’s possible. Think of it as a forced evolution. AI is shaking things up, forcing us to confront some hard questions about what it means to be creative in a world where the lines between human and machine are blurring.
Okay, this is a lot to process. this
maybe we should give our listeners a moment to digest all of this before we you know drop the mic and blow their minds with the final takeaway.
Okay, so back to the big question. What does art even mean in this brave new world of AI generated masterpieces?
Right? Is it still art if a robot made it? Does it have the same soul? Do we even care?
It’s like what if we found out that the Mona Lisa was actually painted by a Roomba? Would it still be a masterpiece?
I mean it would definitely be a more impressive feat of engineering, but yeah, the whole concept of artistic genius kind of goes out the window. So, are we like doomed to become irrelevant, churning out fingerpaintings in a world where robots are the new Picassos?
Well, Sweat Lana doesn’t think so. She actually believes that AI can enhance human creativity. It’s like this weird alien force pushing us to evolve.
To evolve. Do we need to like merge with the machines to unlock some higher level of artistic consciousness? Yeah.
Become cyborgs or something?
Not exactly. It’s more about embracing the possibilities that AI opens up. using it as a tool to expand our creative horizons.
Okay. But how do we do that? Do we start by like teaching robots to appreciate the finer points of abstract expressionism?
Think of it as a collaboration, a partnership between human and machine where each brings their unique strengths to the table.
So instead of fearing the robots, we should be learning how to dance with them, maybe even teach them a few new moves along the way.
Exactly. It’s about exploring new forms of expression, experimenting with the boundaries of what art can be.
I mean, it’s a pretty big shift, right? We’ve been taught to value the human touch, the originality, the authenticity, and now we’re supposed to welcome these machine-made creations into the fold.
It’s definitely a challenge to our traditional notions of art. But Swat Lana argues that this is a necessary evolution.
So, like a growing pain for the art world.
Yeah. But one that could ultimately lead to something more dynamic, more diverse, more exciting.
Okay. So, we’re basically stumbling into this uncharted artistic territory. And the robots are helping us draw the map.
That’s one way to look at it. It’s a pretty wild time to be an artist.
Wild is one word for it. Terrifying is another. But maybe, just maybe, the robots are exactly what the art world needed.
Kick in the pants.
A wakeup call. A reminder that art is always evolving. They’re always pushing boundaries
and that our job as artists is to adapt and, you know, keep making cool s***.
And said it better myself. So that’s it for this deep dive into Swetlana AI’s learning code. We hope you’ve enjoyed this wild ride through the AI art revolution.
Thanks for listening and remember, don’t be a afraid to experiment, to collaborate, and to push the boundaries of what art can be. Until next time, stay curious, stay creative, and don’t let the robot steal your thunder.
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