Conceptos Básicos
The increasing use of the term "craft" in the professional world reflects a desire for authenticity and a fear of obsolescence in the face of AI advancements, but it also obscures deeper issues around the devaluation of creative labor.
Resumen
The article explores the growing obsession with the term "craft" in the professional class, particularly in the context of the rise of AI and large language models. The author argues that the use of "craft" serves to signal authenticity, value, and prestige, as well as a defense against the perceived threat of AI-generated content.
The author traces the origins of this trend to the widespread availability of AI image generators in late 2022, which made it possible for anyone to create "passable" content. In response, the notion of "craft" has become a way for professionals to differentiate their work and assert their value, linking their products to the human labor and expertise behind them.
However, the author suggests that this emphasis on "craft" is ultimately a defensive and insecure response, masking deeper issues around the devaluation of creative labor. The author argues that the energy spent on fighting for attention through "craft" might be better spent on collective efforts to recognize and resist forces that threaten to worsen working conditions and ensure that productivity gains are widely shared.
The article also cautions against getting too caught up in the "craft" discourse, as it may play into the hands of AI proponents by engaging with the AI discourse on its own terms. The author suggests that AI is not inherently magical or unbeatable, but rather a political tool used to consolidate power and control the flow of information. Ultimately, the author argues that the solution lies not in crafting our way out of the problem, but in addressing the underlying systemic issues.
Citas
"Craft signifies value and virtue. It stakes a claim to merit and prestige. It links the product to the human labor that produced it."
"The problem with 'craft' is that, taken to extremes, it becomes…crafty. The line is increasingly blurry between 'craft' (read: not AI) and everything else you see, and in trying to delineate it, we shift attention toward the 'how' and away from the better question: the 'why.'"
"AI isn't magic — the basic technology behind it is readily available and value neutral, and you don't need a computer science degree from an Ivy League school to get the gist of how it works under the hood. And innovation and figuring out ways to make work better and easier are worthwhile pursuits. But AI as it exists in the popular imagination right now isn't really about that: its real power is in its usefulness as a political tool, in the hype machine surrounding it, in the accelerationist, deregulatory, hyper-capitalistic, fear-based ideology it represents."