The Case Against ChatGPT: Part One Cavemen

Image Attribution: Public Domain/Unknown

By Augustine Wasef

The inexplicable handprints pictured above are from the Cueva de las Manos cave complex, which contains art dating from 7300 BC to 700 AD. The academic community has searched for more than a century for an explanation and has championed relatively utilitarian explanations for prehistoric cave paintings. But to claim that these handprints were merely just serving a ritual purpose is to ignore the actual intention. We do not create art to satisfy some imaginary condition, for some ignorant ritual, we create art to screech into the void and to use the echo as a way to search the endless cavern of our reality, art is closer to echolocation than a ritual.

Artificial intelligence does not create art that is fundamentally inferior, we are pattern recognition tools too, and when prompted skillfully artificial intelligence can imitate the gut wrenching search for meaning that art has.

But art was never meant to follow logic, art is not created to follow the logical equations that are the foundation of science. Art instead is derived from hidden axioms, we may never know why but we know what is right and what is wrong. And for some inexplicable reason we believe that art unlike science should have a human element. For that reason human creativity must be preserved. It may be impossible to judge why human creativity is valued but it is similarly impossible to judge why those handprints were created.

In fact, science has a similar uncomfortable relation with logic. As scientists we aim to study the universe yet we ignore the cause of this urging. Possible explanations include a primalistic and evolutionary instinct to better understand our environment. But we continue even with no benefit despite the fact that we can easily override unnecessary instincts. In essence science has numerous branches that are illogical fields dedicated to an ancient instinct that is near useless in the modern world when applied to the universe. We may never find applications for the study of interpretations of quantum mechanics and yet we continue. 

The entire publishing industry is staring at catastrophic collapse. AI seizes hemorrhaging viewers, while AI content concurrently adulterates publications evading ever worsening detectors.  

Collectively we must choose to continue the tedious and manual work that make us human . There is nothing to gain from continuing to write and yet we must continue. In order for a society to make a collective decision enough of its members must go against the current and fight the tremendous full force of society's apathy and the inertia involved in changing the minds of billions. But once a movement gains enough adherents to have a self regulating ecosystem that has enough power to sustain itself and create a state of self sufficiency where it can power its own stake in our society. This publication will fight to achieve that inflection point in the face of technological obsolescence for the same reason those ancient handprints were made in a cave in Argentina.

Thank you for choosing Inflection Magazine and human authorship.