The main goal of Zoetrope is to bring together all sorts of people using the medium of film, and to be able to create a community that can help us to preserve this artform. Recently, artificial intelligence has been on the rise, and has become a divisive topic for many. As artists, and as appreciators of art, our position on AI should be very clear.
AI does not create – it has no real emotional, ethical, or introspective center. It merely imitates and steals from the works of others, who never wished for their work to be fed through countless algorithms, but whose grasp on their work is eroded by systems far out of their control.
The tech giants who control AI lobby local, state, and federal governments to do their bidding – resisting calls to protect artists, halting industry regulation, and building datacenters strategically in the midst of populous towns, often just yards away from neighborhoods, to take advantage of already existing infrastructure and utilities. While it may seem as though these datacenters use less resources than other industries when viewed from a national level, they cripple local grids and turn the lives of those living near them on their heads.
While there may not be a lot we can do on or own, we hope to make a difference in any way we can, to hopefully work with others to create a world where people are treated better, and where AI is no longer a threat.
If you are interested and have just a little time to take out of your day, we would love to direct you to these anti-ai resources:
