Written by: Saman Khalid
Posted on: March 14, 2024 | 
| 中文
An AI generated avatar
Whenever I read an article, or watch a video these days, I am left wondering: Is it human or Artificial Intelligence (AI)? I am pretty sure that almost everyone has had such apprehensions in the past year or so. The influence of AI has become so malignant that it is hard to distinguish genuine content from an AI generated one. AI has permeated into every field in a relatively short span of time. It is a technological revolution that has completely transformed the mechanics of the internet for good. What's more, its growth is exponential rather than linear. Every new tool ten folds its potential, and contributes to the expanding net of robotics that might as well take over the world some day.
While developers have been experimenting with AI for quite a few years, the first major breakthrough in this field was the release of Chat-GPT on 30th November, 2022. It is a language chatbot designed to respond to the user's queries using AI. I can say for a fact that everyone with internet access has used Chat-GPT at some point. What really surprised its users, was its efficiency and range. It can accomplish an infinite number of tasks within seconds; from writing an entire novel to programming websites and everything in between. It did have certain limitations initially, but updates are continuously being made to its interface. As of now, there is very little that Chat-GPT cannot perform. While it is still the most popular AI bot, other softwares have also been introduced to the scene. The first one being Snapchat's "My AI", which acts as one's friend and has its own profile. Other than that, AI photo generators are fast becoming famous among social media creators. "Google Gemini" is Google's official picture based AI model that was recently released. Moreover, AI has also taken the lead in the video realm, with websites like "Invideo.ai" being able to create entire videos with a simple prompt. Last but not least, AI voice generators have been getting loads of traction also, with hundreds of different voices and advanced settings available in the market.
Invideo, an AI video software
Putting all these incredible tools together, you get a goldmine of content that is fully automated and practically unlimited. Let us take a bird's eye view of how various content creation avenues have been impacted by Artificial Intelligence.
Blogging is the simple practice of writing informational and transactional articles on a specific website. It was the first medium to be infiltrated by AI, as Chat-GPT can write all sorts of articles in a matter of seconds. It is also significantly better at writing well-researched articles than humans could ever be. Needless to say, many full-time bloggers have resorted to using AI for their blogs, and are riding the wave! While it is way easier and faster to write articles with Chat-GPT, AI content lacks the originality and variation offered by actual human writing. AI written articles have a certain style that they adhere to no matter what, which makes the content boring and predictable. The articles can be stiff and unimaginative, and somewhat lackluster. Google is trying to fight back against it by not indexing AI generated content, as well as preventing such websites from getting monetized. However, people have figured out ways to get around these measures. There are AI softwares out there that can rephrase the article, so that the articles can pass the plagiarism check.
You wouldn't believe how far AI made social media accounts have progressed. There are AI models on Instagram that are bagging millions of followers, as well as huge brand deals every month. There are obviously human masters behind them, but it is still jarring to think that an AI model can serve as a replacement for human faces. Some of these visual robots are so realistic that they could pass as real. Bulk-generated TikToks are also taking over the platform. Creators are uploading thousands of automated quizzes and other infotainment videos to their channels, and earning huge sums of money. These videos are mass-produced by a combination of AI tools, requiring little to no work on the creator's part. This is a real problem, as it offers hot cash to aspiring content creators with no real talent. It is also creating uniformity, with scores of similar videos dominating every platform.
CHAT-GPT is revolutionizing AI
If there is any site that can resist the AI revolution, it is YouTube. That is because YouTube is a long-form content platform, where people follow creators for their personality and not just for quick hits of dopamine. YouTube videos offer a much greater opportunity for human connection than short-form content. Therefore, it will be much harder for AI to make a dent in it. However, it has cast its spell over YouTube also, especially in the Shorts section. Much like Instagram and TikTok, YouTube shorts are being monopolized by automated videos. At the same time, content makers are using AI tools to create longer videos too. An AI avatar, a script written by Chat-GPT, a voiceover generated by AI and a video compiled by an AI software; these four factors come together for the creation of automated content. It doesn't define the vast majority of videos on YouTube, but more and more channel owners are realizing its potential. YouTube has taken steps to tone it down, like not monetizing AI based channels, and banning them altogether. However, the technological advancements are making it harder to detect AI content.
AI is now generating voiceovers
There are websites like Etsy that allow artists to sell their prints online. As you might have guessed by now, AI is revolutionising this field too. It has actually become a lucrative side hustle to create hundreds of prints using AI and selling them. While it isn't technically illegal, it still feels deceitful because anyone can use AI to get the exact same artwork. Essentially, people are making money off art that can be accessed by their customers for free. Not to mention that it is sabotaging natural artistic expression.
YouTube Automation using AI
AI is undoubtedly an awesome assistant for humankind, but owing to its magnanimous intelligence, it needs to be regulated. If it remains unchecked, disastrous consequences might follow. Even Elon Musk has warned against the rampant use of Artificial Intelligence and the danger it poses. There is nothing wrong with using artificial intelligence to complement one's own abilities. The real issue lies in absolute hijacking of content creation as a whole. If things continue like this, the generations to come will lose the power to think for themselves entirely. Instead, the world will become reliant on technology for the simplest of tasks. Besides, human beings crave kinship with other humans, not a lifeless robot without emotions. Therefore, content creators should value originality over convenience, and personality over efficiency.
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