When someone walks out four days after a launch and says this is something they will never do again, it undeniably creates the feeling that the internal evaluation has been harsh. “Someone” in this case is Posten, which before the weekend presented this year’s Christmas stamps. The stamps depicted a puppy with a Santa hat on a sled, and a smiling snowman on skis. These are basically not figures that are suitable to provoke. But what stuck with more people was the lack of character over the whole thing, and the press release that confirmed what everyone could see. The stamps were made by artificial intelligence, through a tool that had been used by two sixth forms at Drøbak school. LEK: It’s no wonder the principal at Drøbak School could tell that the children thought it was fun to work with the AI tool. But Posten received criticism for the result. Photo: Posten Bring It was remarkable that Posten, by putting an AI program in the hands of children, got back drawings that did not at all bear the mark of having been made by children. Because what makes us see that there is a child behind a drawing or a watercolour? It is precisely the rough, the unfinished. You meet people in the midst of development, artistically and existentially. Young individuals full of feelings and thoughts send them out into the world, giving it shape in the way they can at this time. With the help of artificial intelligence, precisely this roughness disappears. You don’t see the effort of the child trying something out, working to reproduce something they have imagined on a piece of paper. Instead, you see the work of a tool that makes the idea of a sixth grader and the idea of a professional draftsman look exactly the same. It is possible to ponder why Posten hired primary school pupils at all when precisely the level a primary school pupil is at is of so little interest to them. TRADITIONAL: Posten arouses reactions with its use of artificial intelligence. Photo: NTB Nor is it the case that the children just sat there with their drawing pens until the adults came and forced them to use artificial intelligence. AI is naturally something children play with, just like many adults. It is not surprising that the school’s principal says that the children thought the task was great fun. I could also sit for hours with Microsoft Paint when it came, and color large areas with a click of the mouse. But I think it was good for all parties that my works from that time were never placed on any stamp. Until Posten has a finely honed AI device that can be used to create something that is personal, that is distinctive, it would probably be a good idea to hold back. Perhaps it is the result, as much as the method, that causes eyebrows to be furrowed. Because it is so difficult to see the human in it. The use of the children’s creativity was not the only reason to stumble across Posten’s project. The reaction came quickly from Norwegian illustrators. 24 of them immediately wrote an open letter to Posten. BEFORE: The Norwegian visual artist Anne Kristin Hagesæther designed Posten’s Christmas stamps in 2007. This year the job was given to a sixth grader with access to KI. Photo: NTB Artificial intelligence is of course already in use in creative industries. Adult professionals try their hand at new aids. But in this nebulous beginner phase, there is much that is still unknown. We do not know how AI should be regulated, how to protect intellectual property and copyright. The criticism against Posten was, among other things, that they gave a prestigious assignment to a technology that many artists and illustrators, with good reason, see as a threat. And that Posten should not use a tool that has been trained on material lying around on the internet. This means that questions can be asked about who owns the copyright to this training material, and whether these have been recognized or compensated. Posten is also an institution in Norway, with a historically important task, long traditions, and a lot of goodwill for having brought letters and parcels to mountain peaks and headlands and islands for generation after generation. They themselves are under pressure in a modern age that expects tasks to be carried out efficiently and reasonably. It can be debated whether it is in their interest to give such a teddy bear hug to a technology that threatens to make another traditional work, that of artists and illustrators, more efficient. REACTS: Flu Hartberg is one of the artists who signed the open letter to Posten. Photo: NTB It is possible that Posten wanted to create a debate with its AI move. They got that. But whoever starts a debate often does so to arouse support in one camp by arguing with another. But it is difficult to see who would be excited about Posten’s new project. It’s not hard to see who has reason to be annoyed. Christmas should be a time for peace and tolerance and family cosiness. Everyone knows that this is not always the case, and that some families are not of the type where you really have a good time together. But most people try. The funny thing is that Posten uses Christmas, of all times of the year, to stir up controversy. But the first step in reconciliation work has in any case been taken. The Post has come out and said that this experiment is unlikely to be repeated. And thank God there is still a long time to go until Christmas Eve. Published 13.11.2024, at 12:32 p.m
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Posten gave an assignment to children. The result is unlike anything other children make. – Speech
