The Tears of AI

Ilisie Andrei

9th Grade B

The rise of AI really took of in 2023 with the appearance of AI art. Suddenly,

artificial intelligence could create paintings, compose music, and even do your

homework. People all over the world were amazed, but not everyone was

impressed. On social media, many artists and content creators claimed that

generative AI “is not real art.” But why? Is it simply because a machine made it?

To answer that, we need to understand what kind of AI we’re dealing with. Most 

AI art apps use generative AI, which works like this: the AI studies millions of

existing works similar to your prompt and combines elements to create

something new. But why do people see this as a problem? Is it because AI art is

“soulless”? Because no one actually worked for it? Or maybe because we value

the effort that gives art its meaning?

Think of your favorite story. You probably love it because of the characters, the

world, the emotion, but that story was made by a human, a person with life

experiences that shaped every detail. AI can’t replicate that. It doesn’t feel, it

doesn’t care, and even the person writing the prompt has more emotional

connection to the creation than the AI ever could.

So what about AI doing your 150-word English essay? It’s tempting to say, “It’s

just an essay, why not let AI do it?” Sounds practical, right? But think about it:

would you take your car to a mechanic just to tighten a loose screw? Of course

not. You learn it once, and you do it yourself next time. Using AI to write your

essay is the same, you’re outsourcing the experience and losing a chance to

grow. Sure, it’s easier, but every small effort helps you build real skills.

Of course, you can ignore all this and keep letting AI handle your work. I can’t

stop you, and neither can anyone else. Relying on AI for everything might make

life easier in the short term, but every flower blooms, even if it takes longer than

the rest.  Every random Joe could tell you the same thing. Why is AI really such a

problem? Why can’t we just be lazy, create “AI art,” and consume it like chips?

I’m a writer. I write. I love writing, it’s my life. How do I feel about AI art?

Honestly, I don’t feel anything. Most writers get angry when they hear about AI

art because we’re the easiest to replace. They’re scared, scared of being

outdone by something that doesn’t even care. It’s like training for years only to

be beaten by someone who doesn’t even try.

Art is beautiful. It’s what separates us from animals. So why would we give that

up? Why not give our best, our sweat and tears, to create something we love?

Should we really let AI do it for us? Should something that can’t shed tears

replace us?

Art is contagious, pass it on to someone, not to something.