I have written a couple of blogs about AI in the past.  Here is another one that may give you pause.  

I recently watched a Coca-Cola ad on television.  It was in the vein of the holiday ads they have done over the years.  It makes you feel good, the tune is catchy and there is colors and lots of movement to attract your eye.  Who can resist a cuddly polar bear opening a bottle of Coke or a train of trucks lit by Christmas lights passing through what could loosely pass for  Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone National Park.

Towards the end of this ad is a small notice, “Created by Real Magic AI.” 

I commend Coke for letting us know this is AI.  I think any artwork that purports to be photo-realistic should have a similar disclaimer.  Is Coke still the “Real Thing?” On the one hand, kudos to Coke for the disclaimer.  On the other hand, I wonder how many creatives lost work to a computer.  Think about how easy it is to reduce costs by using AI for this type of work.  No need to get permits from local authorities or pay for the use of private or public lands. No crews to scout locations or pay, no talent to hire, just a couple of prompts into a capable AI creation engine.  Talk about saving money.

So I did a bit of Internet looking around.  I guess I was not the first to have this thought.  Here is an article from eWeek  and another from NBC News that sums up the thoughts of others.

There is no doubt that AI is going to infiltrate our lives.  It is already doing so. Search results in browsers may be generated from AI rather than traditional search. 

Full Disclaimer, I have used ChatGPT to plan some photo trip itineraries and have taken advantage of Adobe’s Generative Fill to fix some anomalies in my photographs. The results are superior to older methods of touch-up.  I want to understand how the technology, that is not going away, can help me. 

I don’t think we need to keep buggy whip makers employed.  I do think we need to give buggy whip makers (and photographers/ film makers) the tools so they may embrace the AI future before it leaves us all behind. 

Learn it or Lose it.

Thanks for Stopping By.