Is Artificial Intelligence really intelligent if all it’s doing is basing its written answers and photo illustrations on already existing (and most definitely) works that are copy-written?
That’s absolutely something that has come to mind recently.
Especially in the wake of the WGA Union Strike (I am pro strike!!).
And, when it comes to all those “photos” AI has “created” – well.
Are they?
The definition of a photograph via the Oxford Dictionary:
“a picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally.”
Light. Light is a big deal here. Making a moment permanent using light, reflections, and chemical reactions or digital storage.
With AI, it’s not really a photograph. Not really at all.
It’s an illustration. An illustration made using information scraped from the internet.
And when it comes to an AI “photograph” what its scraping is already existing photographs. It’s taking those pieces and parts and like some chaotic and creepy puzzle maker, it cobbles together the parts and offers you this Frankenstein-ed offering the ai sites claim is a photo.
It’s not. Not at all.
And I don’t know about any of you, but that AI art out there is pretty, well, boring. Vacant. Annoying.
And so uninspiring. It all looks the same. No mater the subject.
And why does everything seem to have this evil undercurrent to it?
Do you see the horror film teeth and vacant eyes?! Stop.
It’s like CGI: a little sprinkle here or there is ok. But a whole movie of CGI?
Ugh. Creepsville. And boring.
I know there are a boat load of ways to get a cheap headshot using this technology.
The sites use a handful of selfies of yourself that you upload and using those selfies as a guide it scrapes the internet to find faces with similar features and collages those findings together to spit out a creation that sort of kind of maybe (??!!) looks like you.
Sometimes there’s eye contact. Sometimes not.
In the cases where the photo illustration is looking at the viewer, it’s well, unsettling to say the least. Because there’s no life behind those eyes. It’s a lifeless illustration of what a Human looks like according to the software.
I can see using it in illustative works, maybe photohsopped together with actual images taken by actual humans.
But for a headshot? That right there is the epitome of untrustworthy. Of inauthentic. Of downright someone I would absolutely not trust and would never do any type of business with. Like, no thank you.
And depending on the type of work you are involved in, that’s not a great way to present yourself.
All this to say, I just uploaded a bunch of selfies to an AI generator, to try it out.
I want to see what is starting to upend my photographic world.
I want to see what I’m up against. What my fellow photographers may be up against.
I know it’s going to get better and better. But for now, I need to know what’s happening.
I’ll repost back very soon. The site says I’ll have “one hundred pictures” to view and choose from.
Illustrations, but okay.
I’ll repost back soon!!
xo,
Stacey
