In the spring of 2023 I jumped into the world of generative AI with the idea that this was likely a technology I would need to understand and master in order to keep up with the changing tides. Regardless of the many controversies surrounding these tools I recognized fairly quickly that this wasn't going anywhere and that no matter the legal outcomes the digital image landscape would be irrevocably altered.
I can now say for sure that by using AI tools you definitely get to understand what they can and cannot do in much more detailed way. Having generated thousands of images in the course of a year it's also become a lot easier for me to spot an AI image - although the quality of images has certainly improved significantly and sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.
Ultimately what I have concluded is that just like any other tool it can be used well and to good effect or it can be exploited and abused.
Watching the marketplace for digital design resources change and expand with new AI produced content has largely been an overwhelmingly disappointing experience. While there are definitely some creators out there skilled at image creation and curation using AI, the vast majority have thrown quality control out the window in favor of a 'volume at all costs' approach.
Being a creator alongside such products has become potentially problematic if buyers subsequently lose confidence in a marketplace because the digital products they purchased were AI crap. I've had the same experience my self and will delve into that more in a future post. But this is certainly one of the greatest side effects of generative AI, the mis-use and over-use of it by users looking to make fast money without any care for the quality of what they sell.
For my own part, I probably did start off on a similar path with it, but haven't been able to follow along with the volume production because I insist on editing the flaws in every image and selecting only the very best of the bunch. And that can get pretty time consuming.
Going forward I plan on using AI to assist with my designs without it being the main creator and generating work that is much less obviously AI produced content. In other words, AI becomes just another tool in my digital design toolbox.
For those of you who may have noticed, most of the AI content that was posted to this blog has been deleted. I did leave some. This is mainly due to a branding shift and a new chapter for my shop rather than any sort of commentary of AI needing to be expunged (I also removed a lot of my own work).
Rather, I was looking to streamline my blog content and create a more focused approach to my content. It's been a fun couple years of experimentation but ready to settle into a new phase of design work.
I know that many people do not have a very favorable view on anything AI let alone generative art, and that's probably a good thing. We definitely need a balanced discussion on the future of AI tools and their impact on society. Regardless of your standpoint on the issue I've committed to posting here mostly human made content and every freebie posted will have a creative disclaimer at the bottom of the post declaring whether any AI content has been included.
Have some thoughts you'd like to share on the subject? I'm happy to hear from all viewpoints!
Shawnna
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