Tools of Existence – “We Were Here”
A poem about art being a tool for humanity expressing its existence and withstanding artificial intelligence robbing humans of this tool.
From humble beginnings,
We made our marks in time.
With hands upon stone walls,
We declared our existence,
And said, “We were here.”
From devoted curiosity,
We shaped stone in homage.
With charcoal and ochre fingers,
We depicted shapes and spirits,
And said, “We revere.”
From generous community,
We told stories to remember and share.
With passionate words spoken and sung,
We captured memory and imagination,
And others said, “We lend our ears.”
From reverent expression,
We decorated emotions in mediums.
With canvas, marble, and clay,
We captured our souls’ essence,
And said, “We hold art dear.”
From technological maturity,
We evolved our creative potential.
With electricity, pixels, and screens,
We explore endless possibilities,
And say, “We’re the new frontier.”
And from artistic solidarity,
We recognize omens of artificialness.
With AI and algorithms,
We stand together in shared humanity,
And say, “We will not disappear.”
(A word about the poem will continue after the ad)
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A Word About the Poem
Art and creativity, whether painting, sculpting, singing, writing, storytelling, fashion, dancing, making music, and everything in between, are part of what makes us human. It’s what connects us across time and generations, gives us hope and reason, and helps us express ourselves as we experience life and try to make sense of it. It is what expresses our very existence in this world.
Through art, we take our passion, empathy, and reverence for life and nature and create something brand new. We decorate time and space with our creations. We express ideas with our movements, words, and hands.
Handing this uniquely human experience over to computers and algorithms robs us of our humanity. It strips us of our creativity and the growth we gain from the process of making art and expressing ourselves.
And, letting corporations replace human beings with machines so they don’t have to pay people for their creativity anymore and produce cheap reproductions of people’s work takes away fulfilling labor from those people and from future generations. Allowing this tells kids growing up that their art and expression of self don’t matter because a computer can do it for them. It disconnects them from their imagination and robs them of a future where they are inspired to create something new.
Without art, we cease to be humans. We become unthinking, unfeeling machines unable to dream of the future, honor the past, or express our present. What is the point of living if you can’t enjoy the best parts of it? A world without art is a world not worth living in.
AI might be able to “write” a book, “compose” a song, or piece together a photo, but it cannot create anything new. It cannot express emotion or see something through the lens of life, trauma, love, or anything else. All it can do is copy what a human created based on an algorithm that it’s been fed from existing works. It cannot create art.
AI can surely be used as a tool, but it is not a tool that can fundamentally express our existence.
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