(Originally Posted on April 15th 2024)
I’ve read multiple articles describing how ‘Generative A.I.’ has taken over projects in the workplace due to its speed of generating a finished product without having to take time to ‘process’ a product. It seems like the ‘process’ aspect of a skill might get lost and that would be a real shame for many reasons.
Over history there have been many techniques, creations, and skillsets lost because there were no guides or manuals created on how to recreate the process to achieve a result. The process is the most important part of any skillset, it’s the part that takes time to hone and perfect to achieve a certain creation, movement, or object. It’s the thing that many desire to know!
Fencing is a prime example, there are several styles known from guides created by the ‘masters’ of those times. There were probably many other styles and forms that existed but weren’t cataloged and thus lost to time. ‘Greek Fire’ and ‘Damascus Steel’ are another example. Two creations that existed and were known by many for their greatness, but the process on how to recreate them has been lost, we can create a close copy or imitation of those great creations but not the exact replication process.
‘Generative A.I.’ isn’t going through that process, it’s generating an ‘imitation’ of the product. The process is inherently made/created by a human and tested/tried multiple times with varying results until one subject is chosen to be the ‘prime example’.
I think every process used by a creator, artist, designer, and other professions should be made by as many individuals as possible. Everybody has their own personal process and it would be a huge disservice to the craft if that process was lost thanks to ‘Generative A.I.’ taking over the workspace.
My idea here is to preserve the future generation of skill sets. Humanity has already lost many great works, creations, libraries, and manuscripts detailing great knowledge. Don’t let the processes behind a craft be forgotten as time and technology continues moving ‘forward’.
Skills are precious, don’t let them be extinguished!
Helpful Advice:
– Fill an empty journal, diary, or workbook with a personal process
– If a skill book is needed, add personal notes to the pages
– Don’t wait, please start now!