I think the author's perspective is the solution should aim towards the social organisation of workers (in this case artists) as a group in a step towards the worker's state; the technology is not the problem but the privatisation of the surplus value from socialised labour is. Art-luddites (if such a thing is even possible now) would actually be a good thing - they could threaten "machinary" to gain leverage for workers at large.
It is not one's personal failure for attempting to survive in a system that exploits one and their labour, neither is a recognition of any classes that we fit in that is not exclusively proleteriat. As individuals maybe our only realistic solution be attempts towards becoming petty-bourgoisie or highly sought after labour aristocrats - if not already there - (which will not mitigate sufficiently the contradictions) but as an organisation the scope is much much more.
We have to remember when we are reading more radical writing that they are trying to push where we could be as a society ie the opposite of tailism. However, we should always place those ideas in the context of our own realities and trial them where appropriate, and learn on the feedback from this process - that is the more scientific and dialectic approach.
Art-luddites (if such a thing is even possible now) would actually be a good thing - they could threaten “machinary” to gain leverage for workers at large.
At the risk of fedposting, if I ended up homeless and with nothing left to lose thanks to AI art, I probably would find some way to threaten the machinery that makes it happen.
You do raise a good point though. I might look into forming solidarity with other artists and maybe forming/joining some kind of union and push for education. The call for IP law to protect artists isn't a petty bourgeois action, it's one done because artists aren't educated on the other tools they could be using to ensure their livelihoods.
I think the author's perspective is the solution should aim towards the social organisation of workers (in this case artists) as a group in a step towards the worker's state; the technology is not the problem but the privatisation of the surplus value from socialised labour is. Art-luddites (if such a thing is even possible now) would actually be a good thing - they could threaten "machinary" to gain leverage for workers at large.
It is not one's personal failure for attempting to survive in a system that exploits one and their labour, neither is a recognition of any classes that we fit in that is not exclusively proleteriat. As individuals maybe our only realistic solution be attempts towards becoming petty-bourgoisie or highly sought after labour aristocrats - if not already there - (which will not mitigate sufficiently the contradictions) but as an organisation the scope is much much more.
We have to remember when we are reading more radical writing that they are trying to push where we could be as a society ie the opposite of tailism. However, we should always place those ideas in the context of our own realities and trial them where appropriate, and learn on the feedback from this process - that is the more scientific and dialectic approach.
At the risk of fedposting, if I ended up homeless and with nothing left to lose thanks to AI art, I probably would find some way to threaten the machinery that makes it happen.
You do raise a good point though. I might look into forming solidarity with other artists and maybe forming/joining some kind of union and push for education. The call for IP law to protect artists isn't a petty bourgeois action, it's one done because artists aren't educated on the other tools they could be using to ensure their livelihoods.