Imperfect

sought by ai

Not By AI badges

Particularly if you are anti-AI or very critical of it, Not By AI badges resemble pink elephants. They endorse AI use by emphasizing it over what isn't desired. It's as Shilin says in stop saying advertising is evil:

But the same way manufacturing companies have ethical responsibility over what they manufacture, advertising companies may or may not choose to engage with a certain brand. You don't smoke? Don't advertise cigarettes. Not a Knicks fan? Well, you know the answer. As much as we choose what we consume, we can choose what we promote.

Be careful what you promote given your taste and preferences. You might not know how people will react to your message. To me, badges like these can show how haters are pollinators:

How many people in your life chase the opposite of what they love?

Others share ideas that strengthen their opposition under their noses.

Negative attention is as much attention as positive attention is.

Worse, the badge paints a target for scrapers to train future AI systems. You can defend against that, yet doing so can lead to self-sabotage against llms. All that for a badge that isn't ubiquitous in use, yet benefits AI enthusiasts worldwide.

In their What Is the Not By AI 90% Rule? page, they bury the arbitrary lede:

The Not By AI 90% Rule states that at least 90% of the content must be created by humans.

With how ideas spread, how can you or your audience verify that 90% of your content is created by humans?

What percentage of badge users follow that rule? Those that don't falsely advertise and could become open to damages.

Do people operate in the same manner elsewhere? I don't see much care expended toward similar remixing of, say, copyrighted stock images for memes.

New technology gets incorporated into art in all kinds of different ways. Some are positive, some are negative. Many ways augment creativity yet remain undetected. As stated in online creator success, think of the unreliability of AI detectors.

On the same page, Not By AI states:

Starting March 1st, 2025, AI-generated translations will no longer be included in the allowed 10% AI usage.

What use cases do you predict will follow the above? Could you foresee a time at which such a badge becomes no longer marketable or viable?

Humanity is inherent within AI systems

In Human vs. Machine: The Soul Behind the Story, Yordi contemplates the balance between works "made by AI" and those made by humans. Consider the following an indirect take on the matter.

The more inhuman AI gets called, the more I find humanity within its manifestations through its researchers, developers, and users alike. These people can and have shed "blood, sweat, and tears". These people can and have suffered "sleepless nights, endless trains of thought, soul-crushing writer's block, and so on."

Given artists' penchant for humanity and creativity, I don't get the blanket erasure of ingenious human interactions with AI systems. Humans interact with systems such that the components within act. That includes the otherwise inert large language model more commonly known as an LLM. Other critical control points like prompts or samplers hold much potential for human work. Auxiliary actions and tools only add to that.

With how tool-assisted our modern lives have become, I find declaring non-AI system processes the only viable, pure option odd. In that same spirit, I don't get the uptight approach some vocal groups express only toward cutting-edge AI. Go beyond the "origin" of works: trace the history of technology prior or learn how developments past and present augment AI. Whether produced, interpreted, or consumed, human crafts via AI systems can hold more value than via other systems and vice versa.

The more I think about and write on AI, the more I realize how blurry the lines have become between work made with or without AI. For how long will statements like "written by humans" or "not by AI" hold significant truthiness or value?

Better badge alternatives

Let's say, after all that, you still wish to use a badge. In their Is Not By AI Anti-AI? page, Not By AI states:

However, our stance is that you should use AI as an assisting tool rather than treating it as your creative director.

While I understand the power of critical mass, other badges might fit that stance better.

If you find AI amenable, check out AI label for starters. These flexible labels denote how much AI was involved in creation. They aim to show content origins, reduce confusion, and enhance promotion or criticism. The concept skips arbitrary percentages to meet, FAQs, and other needless complications.

If you find AI inhospitable, check out these badges for starters:

Badges like these emphasize humans directing creative works, also without arbitrary percentages or other complications. They forgo mentioning the AI you don't wish to market in addition to what the AI label above forgoes.

While more badge designs exist, I will leave that as an exercise for the reader as someone that doesn't see much need for them.

Let people create

Like other revolutionary tools, AI lowers the skill floor and heightens the skill ceiling for many disciplines and activities. Reducing the gap between creativity and application can be applauded. As far as its use goes, using it well or poorly is your call. You can make high or low quality creations with or without it. Your standards might not match others' and that's okay.

Let people create with AI or not. Let people use tools they can or want to use, instead of locking them out due to reasons like impurity.

Whether you wean yourself from AI badges or not, I can see how people consider them fun or useful. You can use them no matter what I say. That said, I do wish the inverse were more true. I look forward to a time with less threats and harassment flung at humans working with AI for fun and other useful purposes.

If you feel you can't beat people that use AI, the ball is in your court. Join them, learn how to beat them, or surround yourself with people that value work through other equally human methods. Just remember that they are humans working with tools like you are at the end of the day.

Want to reach out? Connect with me however you prefer: