When Trump’s plan to build a Triumphal Arch in Washington D.C. was made public, I thought, No! He can’t be serious. But yes, he is! He’ll build anything anywhere to leave a stain, and after demolishing the East Wing, I was disgusted by his audacity, the pastiche on which he’s basing the design, and the deliberate disconnect with its surroundings.
Although many years ago I served on the Federal Design Jury, what’s a mere citizen without any political clout to do? I turned to ChatGPT.
Computer-generated.
AI-agitated.
Last week I succumbed to posting AI “slop” to add a voice to the argument over the ill-considered arch. I did so only after the White House dropped its Donald J. (for Jesus) Trump AI-generated image.
My rationale to a few friends who criticized me for employing AI slop was this: I thought it was justified to use the tool against them. We’re in a street fight, and while it may be foolhardy to fight a battle on their terms, as The New York Times noted, there is an exponential rise in inexpensive AI-generated political posts this election cycle—and every faction is loading their arsenals.
That’s how arms races start, and there’s no telling how they end. But we’re in the middle of it now (not unlike the introduction of radio as a propaganda platform in the 1930s). Given the right wing’s adoption of guerilla propaganda methods, it’s easy to get caught up and to slip into slop—to be stymied by the ease with which they create fake posts. And the only comparable defense is a strong offense.
I don’t have the acerbic chops of our best oppositional satirists and comedians. Most people do not. So retaliating with slop does not seem unreasonable—and only a hint shameful.
How to use the tool so it does not pollute the well is another story altogether. AI is more dangerous than we know, but also potentially more useful than we expect. It will not be used wisely, that’s for certain. It is too seductive and easy. But after having committed my act of heresy—which I acknowledge was a cheap but satisfying shot—I was reminded by the image below, hand-drawn by the great French humorist Savignac (which, although done 25 years ago, is apt for the Trump narrative), the pen and brush are still mightier than the prompt.
Hand-drawn with brush, watercolor and ink.
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