“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
In the last year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) art has become a ubiquitous presence in our lives, affecting the way we work, communicate, and create. Since I am primarily a photographer, I see and hear the concerns of photographers when it comes to AI. While some photographers and other creatives may feel uneasy about the rise of AI art, it is important to recognize that it offers a new opportunity to create new audiences, new business and new avenues of expression.
Why is it that in the last 10 years, people have been so quick to focus on the negative that they don’t even have time to look for the positive?
I’ve been playing with AI Art for more than six months now. It’s truly fun, inspiring and helpful in my work.
One of the most significant benefits of AI art is that it allows artists to explore previously unavailable creative avenues. AI tools and techniques can help photographers generate new, exciting and original ideas. These can lead to the creation of unique and innovative works of art. It can help set them apart from their peers and give them a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded market. Additionally, AI-powered tools can be used to enhance traditional photographic techniques. These can enable photographers to create images with greater precision, detail and depth than ever before.
When Adobe announced its entry into the AI art space (Firefly — watch Terry white demo the new tool above, which is still in BETA), I saw yet another dust up in the photography community. People who don’t even know what Firefly is started complaining. All they could think about is that it’s “coming for their art.”
I am an old man so I have seen this before — many times. In photography there was concern when we started using color film instead of black and white film. Then, concern again when we started using digital cameras instead of film cameras. Once more when we started using digital darkrooms instead of wet darkrooms. Then, again when we started using mirrorless cameras instead of DSLRs, etc.
It’s frankly a little mind-numbing to me that each time there is a sea-change, a large group of creatives focuses only on the negative. They worry about being disintermediated. They are so fragile that they believe they are completely fungible. Well, guess what — if you act out of fear, you probably are (fungible, that is).
Why not turn the other way and look for new advantages? Here’s an advantage of AI art that you may not have considered. It allows photographers to tap into new audiences and markets. With the advent of social media platforms and other digital marketing channels, photographers can reach a global audience and connect with people who may not have been exposed to their work otherwise. This can help to build brand recognition, create demand for their work, and increase revenue.
You don’t have to get hung up on whether or not to still call it photography. Call it whatever you want to call it. I tend to call it “AI Photo Art.” I am primarily mashing up traditional digital photography with AI Art and having a blast. I can tell you that people like it because I have already had two commissions thanks to my AI Photo Art.
AI can help in so many ways. It can help photographers scale their production capabilities, producing high-quality images at a much faster pace than traditional methods would allow. This can be particularly useful for commercial photographers who need to produce large volumes of images in a short amount of time. By using AI-powered tools, they can produce high-quality images at scale, which can help to streamline their workflow and increase profitability.
Furthermore, AI art offers a new way for photographers to collaborate with other creatives, including printmaking artists, designers, and other photographers. AI-powered tools can help to automate many of the more tedious and time-consuming aspects of the creative process, allowing artists to focus on the more important aspects of their work, such as developing new concepts and ideas. This can lead to more collaborative and productive working relationships, which can benefit all parties involved.
AI art can be used to test ideas, even new compositions for instance or to judge the impact of different color themes in a project.
Finally, AI art can help photographers to stay competitive in an ever-changing industry. With the rise of AI-powered tools and techniques, the creative landscape is shifting rapidly. Those who fail to adapt will find themselves left behind. If you’re digging in your heels saying, “I’ll never…” Well, you’ll be left standing at the train station.
How do I know? Because I have seen it over and over and over. As I described earlier in this article. I have seen photographers and other visual artists refuse to embrace technology before. In almost every case, those people dropped off the radar, went out of business or just gave up.
I have lots of friends who are Marines. Their motto is “Improvise, adapt, and overcome …” Artists can and should learn from that line of thinking. I sure have. How do you think a washed up, crippled up, fat, ugly old man like me has managed to stay at least SOMEWHAT relevant in this space for a period of 50 years? When I see new tech or trends, I embrace them. I learn all I can about them. I dive in and become an evangelist for them. It keeps me young and it keeps me working. I bet the same would be true for you too if you can just open your mind, put away your bias, and give this new tech a chance.
By embracing AI art, photographers can stay ahead of the curve, continue to produce innovative and exciting work, and grow their business in new and exciting ways. It’s not a threat. It’s an opportunity!
I have been using most of the popular AI art tools. But, Firefly from Adobe is the one I have been waiting for. I am betting that if anyone will get it right and make it user-friendly enough for everyone, Adobe will be the company to pull that off.
I plan to write more often about this topic and maybe even teach a class in AI art for photographers. For me, it’s fun, fascinating and exciting. Stand by for more.
Additional reading: Toy photography: Imagination is key
