Gallery Entry

Resistance is futile, surrender unnecessary.

By Jeffrey Hesta · NL

With the rise of AI and its rapid growth, I have encountered two types of people: those who fully embrace it, sometimes even allowing it to take over tasks they once did themselves, and those who strongly oppose it. As an artist and graphic designer, I initially belonged to the latter group. “AI will take our jobs” was the thought that dominated my view of it. Then a very wise man, my own father, said something to me that changed my perspective: “You can be against it all you want. Scream against it all you want. It won’t go away. It’s here, it’s growing, and it won’t disappear. Stop fighting it, but don’t let it replace your own skills. Use it as a new tool.” He compared it to the introduction of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. New technology was met with resistance for many reasons, including the fear of people losing their livelihoods. But electricity did not disappear. The world changed around it, adapted to it and eventually made it its own. That is what I decided to do with AI. You can put enormous amounts of energy into fighting something that, from now on, is unlikely to simply disappear. Or you can find ways to use these new tools to strengthen the skills you already have. Not replace them. Can you draw? Keep drawing. Don’t simply replace your ability with a prompt. Instead, perhaps use AI to explore ideas, make sketches, experiment, or find entirely new ways to work. Everyone has to find their own balance. The visual world of "Resistance is Futile, Surrender Unnecessary" comes from my love for both science fiction and history. To me, these seemingly opposite interests fit perfectly with the debate surrounding AI. Some people want to hold on to the past. Others want to embrace new technology completely. I believe there can be strength in combining the two. For that reason, I combined cyberpunk and science-fiction imagery with elements inspired by ancient Greece. The world in the artwork is an exaggerated reflection of our own: a place in which the old and the new no longer exist separately, but have become intertwined. The enormous floating head represents AI itself. It exists above and within this world: calm yet imposing, beautiful yet frightening. Those contradictions reflect how I see AI. It can be used to accelerate medical research and treatment, while similar technologies can also be used to make warfare more efficient. The technology itself can inspire both hope and fear; what matters is what we choose to do with it. Whether we reject AI, embrace it completely, or try to find a balance between the two, one thing seems certain to me: It is not going to disappear. Resistance is futile, surrender unnecessary. Programs used: Affinity Designer Affinity Photo Wondershare Filmora ChatGPT

Category

VIDEO

Approved

27 September 2026