Anti-AI Backlash in Second Life is Out of Control (Comment of the Week)

There's been a good discussion in last week's post about SL creators debating whether they should use gen AI in their content, with a pro-AI position from "SatanicPanic":

1.If someone prefers not to use a ConvAI bot, they are entirely free to make that decision. Forcing others to conform to this preference, however, infringes on individual autonomy. Technology should remain a personal choice, not a mandate.

2. Prohibiting individuals from using AI tools as part of their creative process is not only absurd but also counterproductive. Such restrictions amount to extreme gatekeeping, stifling innovation and creativity. Many creators rely on AI to streamline their workflows, whether it’s generating textures, brainstorming ideas, or automating repetitive tasks. Denying them access to these tools forces them to waste valuable time and resources on manual alternatives, which could otherwise be spent on refining their craft.

3. Preventing platforms like Second Life from utilizing AI in their development processes is an incredibly short-sighted move. AI has the potential to accelerate development cycles by automating complex processes, analyzing data more efficiently, and enabling developers to focus on higher-level tasks. By rejecting these advancements, the development process becomes unnecessarily slower and more cumbersome, ultimately harming both developers and users.

The behavior of certain anti-AI groups has reached an alarming level of hostility and irrationality. These individuals have turned their opposition into a form of crusade, engaging in online witch hunts to expose anyone suspected of using AI tools. This behavior not only disrupts the lives of creators but also fosters a toxic environment that discourages innovation and collaboration. In many ways, this movement resembles a quasi-religious ideology, complete with its own skewed moral framework that vilifies technological progress.

I fully expect the next meeting for ConvAI bots to be filled with a bunch of protestors, unaware of what they are even talking about.

No word on protestors against ConvAI bots yet but I'm still looking!

I do definitely see some level of hostility around AI that's out of control. For one thing "artificial intelligence" is a broad, broad umbrella that includes applications that have been in virtual worlds for years without any objection.

There are also use cases of gen AI that seem generally non-controversial. When I wrote about the image to 3D mesh AI converter (above), for example, I noted that many SL merchants would find it useful for rapid prototyping purposes. (I.E. "Hey fam, before I go through the trouble of creating/rigging/branding it, would you even want a shoe like this in SL?")

Would anyone be against that use case?

Further, the idea that Gen AI will "take people's jobs" is still far from proven. Like I've pointed out before, the US unemployment rate remains low (though that's changed recently for totally unrelated, Elon-flavored reasons), and Gen AI's promise to make creativity much more rapid and cost effective is very much lacking any substantial examples.

In any case, I'm planning to run a short survey on the topic soon, and am open to suggestions on questions to ask. For instance:

Do you support requiring any item in the SL Marketplace using gen AI to include a "uses gen AI" tag in the description and product images?

What other questions would you like a survey on use of AI in virtual world platforms to include?

Comments

[Mirror]

Their first point was so concerned that prohibiting AI infringes on the individual autonomy of prompters while totally missing the fact that these models infringe on the autonomy of the millions of artists on which they were nonconsensually trained. A cracked take to air into a virtual world once at the forefront of personal creativity.

If this is what you dream of, I weep for you, dreamer.

[Skye]

James, it's wild watching you tank your own credibility shilling for AI Bros in real time.
There are so many good arguments against AI that you picked an argument from a dude screaming whattaboutisms that was countered multiple times.

[Zeke]

"the idea that Gen AI will "take people's jobs" is still far from proven"
So all those game devs were just... getting paid too much right?
Omitting facts, once again, does not make them less true, James.

[Nodoka Hanamura]

I have to mirror Skye's sentiments here, Hamlet.

Anti-AI Backlash isn't "out of control". It's entirely justified given entire goddamn pages of the marketplace are flooded with AI slop uploaded faster than diahreea after Taco Bell, with just as much quality. And I should know - I used to work there!

What's more, these demands to 'keep up with the times' are false equivalancies. Linden Lab should be focused on expanding PBR and GLTF compliance, and implementing features the userbase actually wants, not AI bots no one but tech bros who overwhelmingly are either new to or completely outside our platform have any say over.

Between this, the failure to understand that creators' livelyhoods have been impacted by this, and will be impacted by this, amongst so many other valid criticisms of Generative AI only leaves the following sentiment.

I expected better of you, James.

[Emerald Ansome]

Capitalism, the system that requires you to monetize your passions to live happily or become a miserable cog in the machine, is the REAL ENEMY.

Artificial intelligence isn't the villain—it's a tool. The true problem lies in a society structured around profit, where innovation serves corporations first and people second. Redirect your critique toward dismantling exploitation, not stifling technological progress.

Instead, envision technology serving collective well-being, creativity, and liberation. Advocate for economic structures that prioritize human dignity, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to innovation. Why should the future be devoid of technological advancement when it can be liberated from capitalist constraints? Where tools like AI enhance lives rather than threaten livelihoods?

Can you not see AI enhancing your life, offering opportunities for personal growth, creative exploration, or providing solutions to everyday challenges?

Imagine a world where artificial intelligence helps manage tedious tasks, freeing time for meaningful engagement with your passions and communities. Picture creative pursuits amplified by AI-driven tools, enabling artistic expression previously unattainable. Consider technology actively assisting in tackling social issues such as healthcare accessibility, education inequality, and resource management, transforming lives rather than threatening them.

The potential is vast—our collective responsibility is ensuring it's harnessed ethically and equitably.

[pro-facts]

Definitively irrational hate. They also mostly parrot other haters, the misconceptions and misinformation, over and over. I'd at least try to know what I'm hating, no? Nope, there was a feedback with a bunch of confabulations such as "LLMs like Midjourney...". LOL! Without even bothering to look at the most basic information. It's baffling. They just jump on the hate train and parrot what they have read from other random confidently incorrect dudes, reinforcing their hate further.
Social media bubbles and tribalism are a disaster.

One of the first anti-AI hate crusades stared when ChatGPT came out. Since it said that trans women are women, an anti-AI campaign immediately started on Twitter, trying to belittle ChatGPT, claiming that it was getting the definition of women wrong. Musk started calling it Woke AI and said he would make his own anti-woke AI. Funny enough, the initial release in 2023 still kept saying that trans women are women https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-grok-ai-left-wing
They also instigated the artists.
And here we are.
I'm not saying that there is no issue, but there is definitively that irrational hostility and attitudes, also many good points from Wagner.

As for the "uses gen AI" tag, transparency isn't bad and in general I like it. I could almost agree. However, I'm aware that it was proposed as a mark of shame, to mark products to avoid. At that point, for consistency, I'd also add other tags: "uses 3D models downloaded from a website" (well, I don't think they would add the tag "ripped from games") and "they just put inside a script from a library" and "textures taken from the Net" and "no-mod just because others do it". L$ 1000. At least, gen AI requires some effort, in getting what you have in mind and refining it, also the ideas of what you want to create with it are yours. And for prototyping is definitively useful.
ADs and pictures of products, instead, no. It doesn't matter what tool you used to improve it, photoshop it, AI improved, rendered in Blender... I prefer they show the product as it is seen in SL.

[pro-facts]

As for the stuff in the comments.
"these models infringe on the autonomy of the millions of artists on which they were nonconsensually trained"
Artists train themselves on other artist's works since the dawn of art itself. Guess why we had Caravaggists or Pointillism and other movements. True art isn't just making something in the style of Caravaggio or imitating other works or techniques, but a deeply personal form of expression, whatever tools or technique you use.

Once there were artists against photography. They feared that photography would eventually replace painting entirely. They also said that it was a mere, soulless, replication. That sounds familiar, isn't it?
https://daily.jstor.org/when-photography-was-not-art/
Art continued to exists. Photography was eventually recognized as a new form of art.
Now, contrarians aside, there are several artists who understand the capabilities and are using AI.
https://penji.co/ai-artists/
https://designworklife.com/inspiration-from-ai-artists-around-the-world/
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-6-artists-artificial-intelligence-chatgpt
If you tell me that you've seen the investments and want something too, I can understand; but let's avoid stretching the facts and making up bizarre arguments.