I would love to see substantial AI tweeking done to Nemesis (1992). The core effects are all there, the augmentation would be fantastic.
We could make a grand list of films that would be elevated a whole letter grade by about $100,000 of AI fixing and some human editing done to the special effects. A new frontier, really.
Two words jumped out at me as I read your essay. The first was the use of the word "conjure" to verbalize what we are doing when we attempt to induce the particular output ideas we have in our heads as we instruct/prompt an Ai model. I also use this word in the same context because it captures the feeling of trying to coax what we desire from what is essentially a complex statistical matrix. There is a sense in which landing on the right combination of keywords is somehow "magical" whether as a stage magician or a seer.
Second was the phrase "guilt inducingly simple". Sometimes Yes!
Both lead me to the thought that one of the unintended consequences of using Ai will be the shaping of languages through the identification of particular phrases. The re-shaping of language has of course already happened as a result of the advent of social media, and we've all heard what Marshall McLuhan said about media and messages. But who would have thought ten years ago that an Excel spreadsheet would become an essential tool for an artist to curate lists of prompts, art styles and artists names and links to websites.
Another unintended and positive consequence is the research that is fostered to identify the signature features (ingredients) of particular styles and how to blend between them. This can of course be done in the analogue space but Ai speeds this up and makes the process of style engineering - systematizable. (Oh horror!)
Thanks for your thoughts and reasoning. It goes beyond the prejudiced, clumsy and uninformed view of many that Ai art is simply "slop". Much of course is "slop" but that which people find meaning in will remain.
Well done, for coming out with ideas for the use of this tool. It makes a nice summary
I would love to see substantial AI tweeking done to Nemesis (1992). The core effects are all there, the augmentation would be fantastic.
We could make a grand list of films that would be elevated a whole letter grade by about $100,000 of AI fixing and some human editing done to the special effects. A new frontier, really.
Two words jumped out at me as I read your essay. The first was the use of the word "conjure" to verbalize what we are doing when we attempt to induce the particular output ideas we have in our heads as we instruct/prompt an Ai model. I also use this word in the same context because it captures the feeling of trying to coax what we desire from what is essentially a complex statistical matrix. There is a sense in which landing on the right combination of keywords is somehow "magical" whether as a stage magician or a seer.
Second was the phrase "guilt inducingly simple". Sometimes Yes!
Both lead me to the thought that one of the unintended consequences of using Ai will be the shaping of languages through the identification of particular phrases. The re-shaping of language has of course already happened as a result of the advent of social media, and we've all heard what Marshall McLuhan said about media and messages. But who would have thought ten years ago that an Excel spreadsheet would become an essential tool for an artist to curate lists of prompts, art styles and artists names and links to websites.
Another unintended and positive consequence is the research that is fostered to identify the signature features (ingredients) of particular styles and how to blend between them. This can of course be done in the analogue space but Ai speeds this up and makes the process of style engineering - systematizable. (Oh horror!)
Thanks for your thoughts and reasoning. It goes beyond the prejudiced, clumsy and uninformed view of many that Ai art is simply "slop". Much of course is "slop" but that which people find meaning in will remain.
Much of EVERYTHING is slop.
AI is so awesome, I sincerely don’t know why we need humans anymore.
Be careful what you wish for
Yeah, I don’t. I was being ironic.
IRONY NOT ACCEPTED - RETURN TO YOUR BREATHING POD.
Wonderful article, Colin. I always look forward to these on a Sunday morning.