AI, Bigots, and Consuming Media

This is an opinion piece. As a precaution, I would like to remind everyone of the following:

The opinions, arguments, and stances in this article are solely those of Naomi Carrigan, and do not reflect the opinions of NHCarrigan, its consumers or clients, its employees or representatives, or any other interested party. This article is provided for informational and opinion purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or professional advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult appropriate professionals before making decisions based on this content. The author and NHCarrigan assume no liability for actions taken based on the information presented herein.

With the legal notice complete, I will begin. I have been seeing a lot of discourse around topics such as the fact that E33 used AI in the development process, and that Fortnite has Harry Potter skins.

Rather than working with short tweets, I decided to write my thoughts in a shareable post. This makes them easier to clarify.

AI

Generative AI is distasteful. AI art is soulless. All of it was trained on unethically sourced data (that is, intellectual property theft). I understand the hate for it.

I do not necessarily understand the hate for every single person who uses it. Game development studios using AI art in production games is awful, and we should absolutely hate them for that.

However, consider the girl in her garage using AI to help her visualise her character. Consider the immigrant using AI to help polish his written English. Consider the solo game developer using AI to flesh out a questline.

I am not convinced these people deserve the same level of vitriol. There are many ethical concerns with using generative AI. However, we should focus on the corporations that are creating a negative impact, rather than the indie creators who are trying to do their own thing.

The caveat is that if you ship a product with AI assets, that is very distasteful. If you use AI to replace actual humans in the creative pipeline when you can afford to pay those humans, you are evil. Corporations do this often, and corporations are bad.

Individuals who are trying to survive should not be hated. Chances are, they are trying to find a way to escape our oppressive capitalist oligarchy.

Please know that I am not trying to diminish the impact of generative AI. There is massive environmental damage. The people who label the data for the model to "train" with are often underpaid and overworked.

There is a huge difference between a hobbyist game developer working a minimum wage retail job, who cannot afford to hire a creative partner, and a triple-A studio that will not afford an artist because it would rather spend its funds on executive salaries.

Also, sitting in your basement using AI to improve your workflow and creativity is one thing. Sitting in your basement and tweeting a series of "AI art" saying "Look at what I made!" is different. Private use, in my opinion, is far less problematic than public distribution.

When we fight each other, it takes away from our fight against them. Do not lose sight of that.

Bigots

For those who have joined our Discord community, you likely saw the application to join the community. There is a direct question on it: "How do you feel about the LGBTQ+ community?"

It is a low-effort way to weed out trolls. Hateful bigots often cannot resist the temptation to use a slur.

We also get responses such as "Negative" or "I don't support it". My team asked me why I still approve those applications.

My reasoning is as follows. Part of truly curating a safe space is not only keeping the worst people out, but also identifying the "middle of the road" people who could be much more.

I have the patience and understanding for people who are misinformed. These are people who do not hold malice in their hearts, but have only heard the opinions of hateful bigots and therefore know nothing else.

These are people who could be supporters. Some may also be potential members of the LGBT+ community who have not been given the space to truly explore their identity.

People who are actively and outwardly hateful, or who enter the community and begin attacking members, are met with the swiftest retribution. For people who slip up, or who do not know better, I will take the time to help them become informed.

Many times, they become staunch supporters and regular members of my communities. Less commonly, they become hateful and are immediately banned.

It is important to me to give people a chance to be good.

Please note, however, that I do not put the burden of educating these people on anyone but myself. My staff are not expected to educate them. My members are not expected to educate them. My community has carte blanche to disavow someone who decides to be hateful instead of receptive.

Protect your boundaries. The things I am willing to tolerate when helping someone grow are very different from the things you are willing to tolerate. That is acceptable.

Your safety and well-being are paramount. Do not help others find the light at the risk of falling into darkness yourself.

Consuming Media

The current "hot button" issue is that Fortnite added Harry Potter skins. I understand the concern.

Not only is J.K. Rowling very active and vocal against LGBTQ+ rights, but the universe she has created is full of racist undertones and other serious red flags.

Although it was a very formative aspect of my childhood, I have long since given up on consuming Harry Potter media. I have no desire to engage with that world or give her any money.

The Hogwarts Legacy game is everything I had ever dreamed of when I was a child. I have still not played it. I never will, and I will not even pirate it. Seeing that world in the light I do now has ruined it for me.

Fortnite: I only played it a couple of times as part of a community event for a former client. It was not really to my taste, but I can see why people love it. They added Harry Potter skins, which is distasteful.

I do not see the point in demonising the people who still want to consume this media. I will not, and I will forever remain vocal about why.

Again, this is part of the principle that "us vs. us means no us vs. them". I will gladly educate people who consume this media on why they should not.

The world is bad. I am not going to pick a fight with someone who chooses Fortnite as their small shred of joy in a soul-crushing life.

We must also remember that there are going to be members of a marginalised community who find comfort, instead of pain, in problematic media.

People consuming the media may also not know. They may not have known originally, and know now, but are swayed by the power of nostalgia.

Remember also that there is a difference between consuming new media (e.g. Hogwarts Legacy) long after the creator has been outed as problematic, and consuming old media that you have owned for years.

Educate, do not attack. Call out the issue, not the person. Boycotts are powerful. Spread the word. Do not attack people who are not really the problem here.

Bigger Fights

There are much bigger fights to be had. Focus your attention on those, not on the people who could be fighting alongside you.

Focus on the policymakers, on the public figures, on the executives and corporate drones. Focus on the people who are actively oppressing you.

Save your energy for what matters.