A conflict of faith
Hello, I am new to the Gnome church so I hope this is not out of line.
It appears that in several locations throughout this website I have noticed the use of AI art.
I feel like the use of AI conflicts with several of the principles of Gnome.
Primarily our dedication to environmental stewardship and individuality.
Generative AI has led to a massive spike in electrical usage, leading to a dramatic uptick of pollution, water usage, and the rare earth materials needed to build/maintain the giant servers required to host these AI learning networks.
Also the artistic integrity of a system that has been proven to scalp individual artists without credit or compensation.
I believe our community is full of creativity and kindness and that we as a whole are capable of creating beautiful works of faith and gnomeish pride.
Thomas Dolby wrote a piece about this that I quite like. AI is here. AI is a tool.. Tools have come over and over again. There is artistry in learning how to use those tools to enhance what we create. How we use those tools, and how we push them to evolve (using less energy, being responsible in building server sites, creative crediting) is where our stewardship comes in. I think the curiosity and wonder of the Church pushes us to examine how we can do better both environmentally as well as ethically with new tech, while allowing exploration and more understanding of it.