10 laws for human artists in the AI era

If AI were a musician, it wouldn’t be a composer or a singer-songwriter. AI instead would be a DJ, mixing songs for mass audiences. Similarly, most artists are not original creators either; most are secretly undercover “DJs’’ that rearrange popular verses crafted by others and adapt them to the mass trends of their times.

Only a rare group of “originalists” creates from nothing to something, or as Peter Thiel says, “from zero to one”. And the artists who learn to create from first principles will be able to compete with AI creations for longer.

As the AI generated representations of each of our ideas becomes a new commodity available to everyone, human artists will need to focus on a new hierarchy of talents.

Inspired by Isaac Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics, we can imagine: 10 Laws of Human Creation.

1) A human must always create unique and original ideas.

2) A human must never copy themselves, others or an AI.

3) A human must first prioritize ideas over generative aesthetics.

4) A human must strive for conscious precision over AI randomness.

5) A human must create from their honest and personal experience.

6) A human must represent an origin story and compelling narrative.

7) A human must create art that is timely, atemporal and universal.

8) A human must never be seduced by algorithmic style trends.

9) A human must never present work prompted by AI as their own.

10) A human may contradict all previous laws if it brings them joy.