From taking photos to baking cookies to listening to music, art takes up a huge part of our lives. Yet, as the world advances into a technological era, people are skeptical about the future of art. Here is what some of Skyline’s artists and teachers have to say about that.
Darrin Cook, orchestra director at Skyline, says, “As more and more jobs and tasks are given over to AI and automation, I believe it’s important for us to remember who we are and what’s unique about our species. Music and art are mediums through which we communicate powerful ideas and emotions that capture the essence of what it is to be human. We must engage in and celebrate these behaviors and traits in all their imperfection and beauty.”
Stacie Erfle, Skyline’s video production teacher, believes we need a more creative world to balance technology, “Society can’t exist without out-of-the-box, creative thinkers. Unfortunately, stable art careers are hard to achieve, with limited opportunities and affordability.” In today’s job market, specialized careers are more valuable than broad fields. She highlights how artistry’s being replaced with Scratch-like programs in classrooms: “Kids don’t make stuff with their hands anymore; we’re abandoning creativity at the elementary level.”
IB student Mary Lee, observes many more students pursuing STEM instead of art. Aware of her medicine and humanities interest, I asked about her future plans. She replied, “I’m very passionate about healing and improving people’s health. Although I’ll study philosophy, pursuing medicine will better suit me, and being a doctor incorporates the ‘human’ side through learning and working with patients.” Mary believes art will still be pursued as it’s what makes humans human. “Art is beautiful because you know a living mind created and conceived this idea. If art was created by an algorithm in some computer, it wouldn’t be beautiful anymore. If we stopped, we would lose a part of us.”
What do you think the future of art will look like? Can AI or robots ever beat our creativity?
