Artificial Intelligence (AI) is accelerating a burst of activity in organisational learning, science, intellectual assets, art and music.
We have entered an ethereal realm with boundless potential. As a multifaceted content creator, I am at the front row seat of witnessing the disruption of writing, drawing, sound engineering and film production in the wake of the advent of AI.
AI is undisputedly the single most disruptive technology the world has seen since the Industrial Revolution.
A few years ago as a budding caricaturist, I remember how I marvelled at Rotring and Artline pens as Muigai Goko (pen name Igah) and Godfrey Mwampembwa (pen name Gado), both renowned East African caricaturists, took me through the basics of framing and inking comics.
Digital drawing would later disrupt the art industry as digital drawing boards such as Wacom Cintiq and Huion transformed the drawing experience, with otherworldly speeds and efficiency.
Enter the digital DaVinci’s and Van Goghs that are displacing artists through machine learning. Data scientists have now developed robo-artists out of digital neuron clusters called recurrent neural networks.
With any surreal prompt, AI art and image generators such as Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney can conceptualise and produce any image corresponding to your prompting creativity. AI technologies are set to increase productivity by more than 50 per cent.
In the post-AI era, we will have to re-evaluate our knowledge and skills required for the future. We must start reimagining business processes that will integrate machine intelligence with human intelligence.
The promise of AI lies in its potential to empower human creativity, imagination, and innovation. Moving beyond the mundane automation of routine tasks, AI envisages a future where humans remain pivotal, with machines augmenting their abilities.
Technology intertwined with science is unlocking new depths of complex life throughout the universe, from microscopic domain of minute organisms to the outer reaches of space and to the inner world of human consciousness. This intricateness of life stretches infinite in multiple directions. In an era where technological innovation propels society forward, the role of regulation has shifted from being a mere hindrance to a necessity.
The discourse surrounding AI has gained momentum, with debates spanning from the governance of social media platforms to the rise of cryptocurrencies. The complexity of these discussions often obscures a fundamental truth: AI’s potential to be intelligent without being autonomous.
AI’s transformative capabilities extend beyond mechanising tasks. They encroach upon domains once deemed quintessentially human — creativity, originality, and intuition. Artistry, an endeavor deeply embedded in human history, faces a profound challenge.
The automation of artistic creation, underpinned by AI, evokes both anticipation and trepidation. The specter of AI transcends mere automation — it permeates decision-making, creativity, and societal paradigms.
The current landscape, characterised by regulatory debates and technological fervor, necessitates a delicate balance. The harmony struck between ingenuity and regulation will chart the course for AI’s impact on humanity — an impact poised to redefine not only industries but also the essence of human expression.
– Mr Thiong’o is the Executive Producer of Concept Vault, a multi-media company. [email protected]
