To some, the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ might conjure images of robots gone rogue and a loss of human control. To others, they might think of the digital assistant on their phone or using a voice command to turn on the TV.
The simple truth is that we interact with AI every day, from unlocking our phones with Face ID to scrolling through social media feeds.
AI is everywhere, and it’s here to stay.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence technology have also led to it being used in more creative fields like visual design and writing.
Now, AI programs can write entire stories and create works of art, seemingly from nothing more than a few choice words or phrases.
So, what does this mean for designers? Can you replace your design team with an AI program?
The answer here is a resounding, No.
It’s still not possible to artificially replicate the artistic nature, expertise, and unique traits of a human designer.
AI design has a very big flaw in that it can only create based on what has already been created. The AI art tools we have today need to draw from previously created works by human artists, meaning that without those human-produced designs, AI simply couldn’t create.
This also leads us to the issue of copyright. The biggest question surrounding AI-created art at the moment is who owns the final artwork. Is it the creator of the original art being used by the AI’s training database, is it the person inputting prompts into the AI bot, or is it the engineer who created the bot?
It’s a grey area, with murky laws in some countries, and none in others, meaning that for the moment at least, it’s almost impossible to prevent someone else from using your AI-generated art as their own.
A positive note for AI is that the costs are much lower than hiring a human designer, and the output is exponentially quicker.
The problem with this is that the lack of care is often apparent in the final product. Since AI cannot understand cultural references, the work produced is unlikely to align perfectly with what you want to achieve.
So, what is AI art good for?
AI art tools are a great way to develop initial concepts and quick drafts that you can pass on to your designer as a starting point or as inspiration for your next project. It can help you to experiment with different tones, colour palettes and imagery to give your designer a clearer idea of what you hope to achieve.
Overall, while AI-generated art can inject fun into the creative process in a fast and low-cost way, there’s no replacing the expertise and creativity of a human designer who can produce a professional and original piece of work that aligns with your needs and brand.
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