4 September 2024

Industrial partnerships in the creative economy: can technology exist without creativity?

Digital technologies do much to help creative professionals in their work; however, they are not capable of fully replacing humans. At the same time, the increasing use of artificial intelligence and other innovations makes it all the more important for designers and artists to be adept at task-setting alongside traditional skills such as mastering the brush or pen. That was the conclusion reached at a session entitled Industrial Partnerships in the Creative Economy: Can Technology Exist without Creativity?, which took place as part of the Eastern Economic Forum.

 

KEY CONCLUSIONS

Artificial intelligence is not set to replace humans

“A neural network doesn’t have a brain. It doesn’t think, it cannot generate ideas, and it cannot differentiate between good and bad. It can produce a million options, which is wonderful, but ultimately, someone must choose one of them. At this point, only a human can step in, because selecting one option from a million is the key skill – the most valuable kind of expertise,” Artemy Lebedev, Founder, Art. Lebedev Studio.

“Digital technologies and artificial intelligence significantly accelerate many processes. However, we still cannot do without the expertise of a skilled designer... and fortunately, this will remain the case for some time to come,” Daria Topilskaya, Director General, National Center for Industrial Design and Innovation 2050LAB.

 

Digital technologies can offer quantity, but not unique quality

“The most valuable resource in the world – and I cannot foresee a time when this will change – is the human brain. Neural networks are a budget product, and there’s no getting around that. It’s brilliant – there are plenty of people who need simple things. [Neural networks are used by those who – ed.] require creativity served up in large quantities, in cases where basic tasks need solving,” Artemy Lebedev, Founder, Art. Lebedev Studio.

“When it comes to artificial intelligence, it’s like choosing between buying a loaf of bread from a supermarket for RUB 30 or visiting an artisanal bakery where the bread is completely different, costs more, and is made using different methods. It might take longer to make, and be produced in smaller quantities, but you understand what you are paying extra for. We speak about the elitism of human labour. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is about low-cost, fast, large-scale production,” Daria Topilskaya, Director General, National Center for Industrial Design and Innovation 2050LAB.

 

PROBLEMS

The need for legal regulation of artificial intelligence

“There are a number of issues. I’ll make no bones about it – first and foremost, these relate to legal uncertainties, such as in relation to copyright. And it doesn’t stop at copyright, because it’s unclear who will own the generated content – the owner of the technology or the prompt engineer who framed the task correctly. But probably more importantly, there is the issue of accountability. Who will be responsible if the generated content is somehow wrong? That’s the best-case scenario question. In the worst-case scenario, who is liable if it causes harm to a child’s life or health?” Natalya Tretyak, General Director, Prosveshcheniye.

“I work on laws related to the cybersphere and the legal servicing of the arts. Essentially, I ensure the legal support is there to pursue policies vital to the creative industry. My country focuses a great deal on legislation, laws, and rules that govern the creative sector and protects the rights of creators,” Ji Yang, Dean of the Department of Network and New Media, Communication University of Zhejiang.

 

A lack of software developers in the creative industry

“As a foundation, we develop software for industries, and particularly for those that are critically vulnerable due to their dependence on foreign software. The creative sector is also an industry. What’s more, it is an industry with a clearly defined product that has been successfully marketed abroad. This incorporates films, animation, and various creative offerings. Of course, having a functional order for such software is crucial for us here,” Aleksandr Pavlov, General Director, Russian Information Technology Development Foundation.

 

 

SOLUTIONS

Employing technological advancements to automate routine tasks in the creative industry

“Artificial intelligence enables us to economize on time and automate routine tasks in the creative industry,” Dmitry Churkin, General Director, GPM Digital Innovations.

“Digital advertising offers opportunities to create engaging content and come up with thoughtful ideas – things that will capture the attention [of viewers and consumers – ed.]. Technology helps creatives produce engaging content and to think about ways of making adverts that are less intrusive and annoying, and which in fact have the opposite effect of effectively catching the eye and drawing the audience’s attention accordingly,” Viktoria Barkova, Managing Partner, MAER media holding.

 

Employing artificial intelligence in a manner that preserves originality and opens up new possibilities in creative endeavours

“Stage equipment – not only hardware, but also software – allows us, for instance, to stage two performances simultaneously, simply by moving the set,” Mikhail Minin, General Director, MTC Live.

“In China today, most companies in the creative sector use artificial intelligence to modify a person’s appearance. For instance, some artists are banned from performing on television because the government opposes them. In such cases, artificial intelligence alters their face or voice,” Ji Yang, Dean of the Department of Network and New Media, Communication University of Zhejiang.

“People want authenticity. The irony is that despite everything, people still want to attend concerts in person, otherwise they would have stopped going to them long ago. The artist has lived in our headphones since the first portable music player arrived in 1972–1975. Anyone with a hundred dollars to spare could buy one of these devices, and carry their favourite band with them. Yet this didn’t prevent Queen from performing live in front of 200,000 people. People will always seek out the real thing; no digital reality will change that,” Elizaveta Likhacheva, Director, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

 

 

* This is a translation of material that was originally generated in Russian using artificial intelligence.

For more information, visit the Roscongress Foundation’s Information and Analytical System at roscongress.org/en

 

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