Artificial intelligence, aka, AI, has made quite a splash for itself since ChatGPT hit the scene a couple of years ago.
Since then, I've embraced this new era of creativity and technology with [ahem] open arms.
I believe life is always expanding. Each era has its suite of tools and advancements that both excite and challenge the status quo.
Why would AI tools be any different?
With their arrival come both opportunities and threats. This is nothing new.
As an artist, part of my job is to explore Big Life Themes (e.g. love, purpose, truth, change) through what I create.
AI gives me new tools to do that -- and what I've learned about AI in the relatively short time I've been experimenting with it is the main topic of this post. I'm writing for anyone who is also curious about using AI to advance your ideas.
What I've learned about AI
-Contrary to what some people have been led to believe, generative AI is not a quick fix for brand recognition, category domination, big piles of cash or whatever else someone is after when creating content. Anyone who has used one of the generative AI writing tools like ChatGPT or Claude, for example, knows you can’t just copy and paste what the tool generates. What comes back to you can be close -- but the content still needs the human touch to make it ultimately relatable and shine.
-Be willing to invest time into getting a lot of unusable content, particularly in the art and music AI generative scenes. Sometimes you can salvage parts from an otherwise crappy output, but my experience has shown me patience is key when developing usable AI-generated content. This image with hands and arms in strange places is a classic example of the output AI occasionally generates.
-There are plenty of free versions of AI tools available so you can experiment before investing money into a paid version. A lot like test driving a car, most AI tools I’ve come across offer a way for you to see what’s possible before committing your money to the upgraded tool.
-The Catch-22 of AI is now it’s possible to produce content at speeds and volume unheard of just a couple of years ago -- which means the glut of content online is beyond staggering which means chances are better than not that what you create will be seen--consumed--used by very few people.
-Don’t let this stop you from creating! People were saying this same thing about books in the 20-teens; videos on YouTube around 2011, 2012… it’s always a great time to create because creativity is not about likes and views -- it’s about the process you experience making something from your imagination. You never know whose lives your creative work will touch. You never know what difference your ideas can make to someone.
AI is controversial
AI is controversial now and will continue to be controversial moving forward.
Anything new and misunderstood is often received in one of two ways: all in or all out. Rarely is there middle of the road buy in. If Henry Ford were alive today, he'd have some mighty big stories to tell about the backlash he got from people who couldn't see life without the horse and buggy.
I will explore the controversial side of AI in a future post. For now, take these lessons for what they are -- some early insights about what using AI as a creative offers.
Keep creating!
Note: the two images in this post are AI-generated. The writing is original by me.
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