Converge-Con, a two-day convention from Oct. 21 to Oct. 22 organized by the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, explored concerns about creativity in the age of AI through performances, experiments and discussions.
Tech leaders like OpenAI’s Sam Altman call this “The Intelligence Age,” where advancements in artificial intelligence will reshape society. Generative AI creates in seconds what it takes hours for humans to make.
What does this age of AI mean for human creativity and artistic production? For some people involved in the arts space, AI can be a tool. For others, AI and creativity don’t mix.
“You would have to be the dumbest smart person in the world to think that people are not going to keep creating things,” said Chris Wimberley, owner and producer of Carrboro’s Nightsound Studios.
Wimberley has been creating music with clients for 25 years because, as he puts it, creating is what people do. He said he thinks it is “blind idealism” to assume we will fully accept generative AI and stop making imprints on the world through our own creativity.
Scott Geier, a Hussman assistant professor and Converge-Con creator, said he chose creativity as the theme this year because he believes AI is upending creative work more than any other intellectual activity.
“Unfortunately, I think it’s coming for the creatives first,” Geier said.
Geier said that before deciding whether AI has a place in creative projects, one should wrestle with the two E’s: ethics and efficacy.
“Is it ethical, first of all, to do it, and second of all, does it make the work better? And if it doesn’t make it better, then don’t do it — just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” Geier said.
Grant Sizemore, a UNC junior and a journalism major and dramatic art minor, designs projection work and media. He said AI has helped him learn how to use certain tools. He said AI has significantly sped up his process when using 3-D modeling software, without taking critical thinking away from his creative process.
But while creating a performance piece with AI for this year’s Converge-Con, he found that once he started using AI in the writing process, it was hard to stop.
He said AI is supposed to help speed up a process and make things more efficient. But he worries it’s getting in the way of critical thinking and creativity, which require time to sit with.
“For me, being creative is much more than the output. It’s the process that we take. It’s the human element of lived experiences, talking with other people, being in spaces where we’re surrounded by intelligent beings,” Sizemore said.
Pablo Vega, a teaching assistant professor in UNC’s Department of Music, led a Converge-Con event called Mixed Signals. Music panelists and attendees listened to two songs back-to-back to figure out which one was created by a human and which was made by AI.
Panelists and students alike often guessed wrong, which brought up questions about voices being stolen and what AI tools could offer musicians.
Vega said that while AI is a tool, it is not the sole mechanism for creativity.
He said during music production, if the computer is glitchy, the brain goes out of creative mode. Vega said he would like to see AI integrate with music production to better streamline the editing process on the computer.
“I think AI could be a great tool for that, to be able to get in and paint with sonic colors,” Vega said.
Wimberley said Vega invited him to join the Mixed Signals panel. Wimberly said he enjoyed the difference in perspectives at the event and was glad people were thinking about this topic in new ways.
Wimberley said that AI has no historical precedent and can’t be compared to past innovations like the move from sheet music to phonograph records, because it’s far more destructive.
While Wimberley said he opposes generative AI, he supports the use of pattern-recognition AI in the form of algorithmic tools. He said some tools he uses recognize certain frequencies and enhance the sound an instrument makes, but it’s still him putting the work in.
“Pattern recognition gives you options and tools, but you’re the tastemaker,” Wimberley said. “You’re the one that makes decisions.”
Sizemore said his performance, and the process of creating it with the use of AI, brought up questions about if we really should be using AI to be creative.
“Is it acceptable,” he said. “Should we be doing this? And if so, what are the things that we need to be considering throughout just creating in general?”