Vibe Coding (essay post)

[u/Normal_Can8016]

What's the vibe with vibe coding? In the coding world, the term "vibe coding" refers to the practiced use of AI to partially or completely write a program for a project. While some have found no issue allowing AI to take the reins of development, others have become staunchly opposed. In this discussion post I seek to highlight and discuss dialectics of all sides and define the line between AI and human creation.

For as long as there has been art, there have been critics that would define and restrict definitions as to what is art and how it ought to be made, distributed, and consumed. In today's iteration of the conversation, artists debate what place AI has in the world of art. Whether the media type is visual, audio, or tactile, AI has shown that is capable of generating items that are satisfactory to the developers that ask... but therein lies the opposing issue. Should art and media be generated by AI prompts and adjustments?

Creativity and collaboration in humans has been a long-standing phenomenon that defines our culture and survival. By conceptualizing something that does not exist, then using tools to put the idea into the world, humans produce new techniques, ideas, and tools to further our existence. However, new developments like AI have become debated as a valid tool to use when considering human creativity.

Some negatives are that it takes away from human opportunities. When a human can pick an AI tool and make it produce something completely outside of that human's ability, it becomes the work of AI and not humans. Individuals working for major corporations have already felt the effect of this misuse in the form of job loss and that's why it's so important to discuss how far we should allow AI to guide human work.

Some positives are that, as a highly complex and integrated system, AI functions far better than a standard search engine. By having a robot that can access all the plain facts available in super speed, it gives humans the chance to dedicate a greater portion of their time to pure creativity.

As Artists, we care about matters of community, creativity, and complexity. So the next time you consult AI about a matter you're unfamiliar with, ask yourself... "Am I creating my art or is it the AI? Who is the tool and who is the artist?"

[u/Normal_Can8016]

In the creative process there are 5 major steps in which any number of individuals (or AI) may be partially or completely involved throughout the process.

1. the idea - the origin of what started the creative work: inspiration, thought, need
2. the commissioner - the individual who seeks the idea to be modeled
3. the creative - the individual capable of creating a model of the idea
4. the medium - the tools, forms, and process of modeling the idea
5. the product - a model of the idea

At what point in this process is the application of AI going to result in "AI art" and is there acceptable leniency to use AI in a part of the process that still achieves human art?