{"id":58246,"title":"Solidarity, even if...? Thoughts on AI","description":"Here's what Reem said when I asked about putting together a collection of her oldest hand-drawn work, and gently observed (in regards to her newest work) that a lot of supporters of Falastin are also very anti-AI.","content":"

I am anti-AI.<\/strong> I\u2019m among those who feel a deep-seated rage every time I see a new, intrusive \u201cfeature\u201d pop up in my user interface, offering to do my thinking for me. As a life-long artist in various genres, I can easily see the massive harm not only to the earth, but also to our own creativity, cognitive abilities, and trust in one another. My own<\/u><\/a> art<\/u><\/a> is AI free and always will be.<\/p>

However, I am also practicing facing hard conversations, which means listening even when I am firmly against a particular way of thinking. I know we won\u2019t get very far towards a better world without this practice.<\/p>

One of my contributing artists, Reem<\/u><\/a> in Gaza, has been running low on art supplies for some time. Her hope to raise funds to buy more is an encouraging sign that she is still, somehow, not giving up. She doesn\u2019t have digital art tools\u2026other than AI. I was troubled by this, but withheld judgment for quite some time given the circumstances. However, I eventually decided it was better to open the topic and get her perspective.<\/p>

\"Reem'sHere's what Reem said when I asked about putting together a new Art of Raqs collection of her oldest hand-drawn work, and gently observed (in regards to her newest work<\/u><\/a>) that a lot of supporters of Falastin are also very anti-AI.<\/p>

\"Regarding my new paintings, I put a lot of effort into creating the idea, but I don't have the necessary tools to support my art, and they look bad in photos. So, I use technology to improve the quality of the work, nothing more. Anyone who objects to that is mistaken. We suffer a lot here in Gaza; no one understands us, so I don't care about their objections. I love you very much, my friend, because you always support me, and thank you for reminding me of my paintings that were destroyed at home.\" \u2014Reem<\/p><\/blockquote>

Using Teemill as my printer was already an unexpected lesson in reflecting on my righteous disinclination to ever use AI. I picked Teemill because of their mission to provide an ethical alternative to fast fashion, yet many of the \u201cmodels\u201d for t-shirts etc are AI generated, or use AI to add our art to the real model.<\/p>

I reflected - which one is actually better for the earth<\/strong>: buying many more clothes than I need and shipping them all the way around the world so I can take real photos\u2026or buying into Teemill\u2019s compromise?<\/p>

\"AAs usual, strictly binary black-and-white thinking turns out to be misleading and limiting. But what about AI art? Could I accept that in a friend and collaborator?<\/p>

As a way of working out my feelings, I used the \u201ceven if\u201d concept from the book \u201cPerfect Victims\u201d by Mohammed El-Kurd<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Reem used generative AI from now on<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

she wasted more energy and water than the genocide has deprived her of<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

she still had enough art supplies to do everything the hard way<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

I personally like the old stuff better, and think phone photos by tent light are still beautiful<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

others decide they can't trust my judgment, much less my store<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

it doesn't totally go with what I set out to do with an Earth-friendly printer<\/p>

Even if<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

It's easier to just not communicate about it at all<\/p>

Even so<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

I still choose to have hard conversations, and stand by my artists in Gaza, Reem<\/u><\/a> and Ebaa<\/u><\/a>. Their survival mechanisms are not mine to condemn, and I will not let this get in the way of our solidarity.<\/p>

\"An\"Masks that do not hide the truth\" -by Reem Muhammad Al-Arqan. <\/em>Process photos here<\/u><\/em><\/a><\/p>

\"We have become accustomed in this war to breaking and then rising quickly and always being grateful and steadfast, being patient and seeking reward and making times beautiful in order to overcome all the pains we live, and we have learned to make a mask of smile to be a key to the hearts of those we love - while in reality we are squeezing out pain. This has been the case since the war attacked us, and we will remain hopeful that we will live again because we deserve it.\" \u2014 Reem\u2019s artist statement for \u201cMasks<\/u><\/a>\u201d
<\/p><\/blockquote>

Reem and Ebaa deserve my love and support, not because of who they are or what they produce, but because of what they need: to feel like they're not alone<\/em>.<\/strong> It's no different from what I need, and we can help each other in that way.<\/p>

Total alignment must not be a prerequisite for solidarity.<\/strong> In fact, it wouldn\u2019t be solidarity at all, if we were exactly the same and had all of the same beliefs - we\u2019d just be members of the same group. Purity tests are all too often the undoing of movements, collapsing as they lose focus on the common cause - freedom and self-determination. We could spend a lot of time trying to figure out who deserves help, sympathy, and trust. But that misses the whole point - to see each other's humanity and intrinsic value, regardless of personal differences.<\/strong><\/p>

My other collaborator on this site, Crystal Silmi<\/u><\/a>, has never shown a hint of giving up on me, even though she\u2019s vegan and I haven\u2019t even seriously considered giving up animal products. Veganism is unquestionably better for the Earth and the sentient beings we habitually consume, yet I have always chosen the easy way. It doesn\u2019t get between us. We can still work on our common causes and be friends, despite this fundamental difference in ethical choices.<\/p>

\"CrystalThese artists are still creating art in any way that they can. And even if<\/em> <\/strong>they could perhaps keep doing it by hand, I won\u2019t de-platform them for failing to be the perfect victims, always strong and blameless in all ways. <\/strong>I find myself with no appetite for policing Reem's or Ebaa\u2019s means of expression. Gazans have watched the world forget about them more and more this year, and I will not be adding to their mental load by asking them to label and justify each piece of art.<\/p>

Both of my collaborating artists have extensive Instagram histories<\/u><\/a> (as of the time of this writing) showing their processes<\/a>. Everyone is welcome to peruse these to their satisfaction, and I\u2019ll start adding links around the site to some more of these process videos, where possible and relevant. I will also continue volunteering my time editing old photos of destroyed art pieces<\/u><\/a> to the highest quality I can for printing.<\/p>

No judgment on the reader if this stance is not aligned for you at this time, I just want to be clear about my thinking. Thanks so much for reading and trying to understand this hard conversation!<\/p>","urlTitle":"solidarity-and-ai","url":"\/blog\/solidarity-and-ai\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/solidarity-and-ai\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/artofraqs.com\/blog\/solidarity-and-ai\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1789187762,"updatedAt":1789345852,"publishedAt":1789345852,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":367499,"name":"Art of Raqs"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wxzrzfjndvsuabf4a8vd1yvxzqsonpbwzsbwjqadccieiap5.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wxzrzfjndvsuabf4a8vd1yvxzqsonpbwzsbwjqadccieiap5.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wxzrzfjndvsuabf4a8vd1yvxzqsonpbwzsbwjqadccieiap5.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":45553,"title":"How to get past overwhelm and be a lifesaver","url":"\/blog\/how-to-get-past-overwhelm-and-help-where-you-can\/","urlTitle":"how-to-get-past-overwhelm-and-help-where-you-can","division":367499,"description":"Focus on one thing at a time, and let go of perfectionism. This applies to all areas of life, so why wouldn\u2019t it work for making the world better?","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uayyocjnymyvnblybl9dd9ma0xbva37pwveqawdegkxt3pxk.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uayyocjnymyvnblybl9dd9ma0xbva37pwveqawdegkxt3pxk.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":56147,"title":"The power is still ours","url":"\/blog\/recycling-rhetoric\/","urlTitle":"recycling-rhetoric","division":367499,"description":"It can feel exhausting to try and make a difference when we see our small sacrifices far outweighed by escalating war, governments polluting and plundering with far less accountability, and the exponential demands of AI processing. I chose Teemill as my Art of Raqs printer because I think it\u2019s vital to support the systems that are getting it right.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ppj2atczmtwovjbav5gtv9aaisr0lbucyxrz4tzqrivnir1h.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ppj2atczmtwovjbav5gtv9aaisr0lbucyxrz4tzqrivnir1h.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":43406,"title":"My first fundraiser - communication is key!","url":"\/blog\/communication-is-key\/","urlTitle":"communication-is-key","division":367499,"description":"I've been making \"Art of Raqs\" illustrations to honor the legendary dancers of raqs sharqi. This art could help me to make a difference.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g9altwwct2wom2mfzjnlulgiq8i8nzlb6s8aclahhhjder6k.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g9altwwct2wom2mfzjnlulgiq8i8nzlb6s8aclahhhjder6k.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}