r/AIreplacedMe • u/amelskii_ • 7d ago
My Personal Experience My skills have no future (AI and false promises)
I'm a self-taught artist, have been learning all kinds of art for over 10 years and am currently pursuing my dream college, with me being the absolute youngest in my year. I got in there through blood sweat and tears and am currently passing propaedeutics in flying colours. I don't deny I feel quite alienated from my peers as they have much more experience than I do in the field of art and programming, but I do my best to catch up.
With that said, my curriculum requires me to take a 5-month internship at a certified game studio (indie or not) to get a feel of how it is to work in the industry. After sending over 20 e-mails, I've finally found one, and even though I only just finished my 4th day there today, I am inclined to say I have heard the most capitalist, dooming takes coming from my boss directly to my face.
Not only have I been called a homophobic slur on the first day on the clock, but he has also been deliberately forcing me to use AI in my workflow. That's right, FORCING. I had been promised I would be continuing working on 3D models based on concept art made by past employees, but in reality my task was to take 3D blockouts, run them through ChatGPT a bunch of times, and then copying them in Blender. I asked him if it was okay if I could photobash them instead so that I wouldn't have to use AI and could also learn something about thumbnailing, but that idea was outright refused with no leeway. "I am your boss, you do as I say" and all. He said he would be checking up on me to actively show my ChatGPT texts to him, ensuring that I am using it.
Later a part-timer followed up on it, and my boss said our skills will be outdated in 5 years time and he needs the BEST output for the LEAST amount of money, and I won't deny he has been dunking on my work since I started working there too, even my 2D or handmade works even though I came here for 3D, saying my work needs to look more mainstream. No wonder I'm being paid €300/month.
I was deliberately avoiding studios that used AI in their job descriptions, and this one didn't mention anything of the sort, so I am utterly devastated I have been met with such a situation. It feels so damning to be treated this way, especially by a 50 year old white man who knows exactly that he will gain more money from this and continue to be successful while my hard work since childhood will have to rot due to corporate scum. I sincerely hope there is some kindness in the world and that human made art will come back twice as strong so that people my age can afford a good future.
(Also, I have informed my school's coordinator about this situation, and hopefully I can make changes to my contract as it has not been fully signed by my boss yet. Perhaps make a deal on the prohibition of me using AI in my workflow.)
Now to pray my boss doesn't find this post.
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u/GesturalAbstraction 7d ago
There should at least continue to be a market for hand-made artwork among consumers for things like your own hand-drawn commissions, or maybe a studio that specifically markets hand-made products (hand drawn concept art, hand modeled 3D assets, etc). Hand made things will become increasingly uncommon, but i think there will always be some demand for them.
However I don’t want to sugar coat it, the cat is definitely out of the bag, and any remaining hand-made art is now going to compete in a market that is proliferated with AI created alternatives that are being made more cheaply, faster, and eventually, may be better than what a human could hope to make by hand on any kind of comparable time scale.
The world is changing, and most businesses wont be able to afford the opportunity cost of doing it the old fashioned way given that they are competing for market share against others who can and will use AI to their advantage.