Anything You Can Do AI Can Do Better

Artificial Artistry?

The revolutionary AI software DALL-E 2 was named by mixing together WALL-E and Salvador Dali’s last name. In just a year since DALL-E 1 was released, the updated software seems like something out of a science fiction movie. It was trained using a combination of internet photos and some from licensed sources. This training has transformed it into the first artificial artist.?

All you have to do is type what you would like to see in image form. Wait 10 seconds. Then peruse a wide variety of artistically generated images to select whichever one you like the most. Or add some more descriptive elements to get what you’re really looking for. The stunning images this software is capable of is unheard of, it even applies artistic direction to them. This is technology that everyone thought was at least 10 years away, but as technological developments constantly prove; the future is now. So far, it has not been released for commercial use, it is only available to a few researchers and developers as it has not been fully optimized yet.?

Binary Limitations?

Their main concerns with commercial release have to do with the underlying CLIP model, created by OpenAI. It tends to exhibit racist and sexist behaviour, leading to automated bias. It has learnt from 10,000 images of faces, which are separated into 7 different races. Hannah Rose Kirk co-authored a paper documenting that this learning process has led it to portraying ‘angry people’ as black, ‘executives’ as white men and phrases such as ‘a place of worship’ with a bias towards Western culture.??

The only predetermined limitations of this program are the text filters in place to ensure that provocative or violent imagery isn’t created by DALL-E 2, the creators want this program to be specifically for art and graphics.?

DALL-E 2 still isn’t able to generate non photorealistic faces well, with plain white backgrounds, poor shading and low-quality animations which resemble clip art.? Despite this, DALL-E 2 is likely to postpone the release of photorealistic creations involving people. As many artists know, faces are one of the most challenging things to create accurately. It is only a matter of time until DALL-E progresses as an artist.?

Some believe this to be a good thing, as they’re concerned that DALL-E 2 may be used to spread disinformation in an extremely believable manner. However, one could argue that technology such as deep fakes are already perfectly positioned to sow the seeds of disinformation.??

Disinformation has been increasingly rampant over the years. As we all have access to more information, now more than ever, it is up to every individual to develop their own critical thinking skills. That is, if our reptilian overlords allow us to.?

?The Artificial Industry Standard?

While this technology is likely to displace the organic artist, the artificial artist will certainly become a staple for the marketing industry. Imagine never having to wait for designers to create static or simple animation posts ever again. While highly talented and experienced designers won’t have to worry for the next few years, relatively soon, there will be no need for agencies to employ designers.?

There is already a trade-off between quality and quantity, as we have said many times, high quality content is far more effective at reaching your audience. Though, this new technology is closing the gap between this trade off at a worrying rate. Nobody can say for certain how fast DALL-E will evolve, but if this past year’s progress continues, it will result in the complete death of graphic designers within 5 years.?

While this is horrific news for graphic designers, for agencies as a whole it is incredible news. The increased efficiency is almost unimaginable. Everyone has clients whose visual demands are as fickle as a flame. Instead of stressing over when they want new visuals within unrealistic time frames, you’ll be able to present those visuals during the course of the meeting. Initially, it will be beneficial for designers, as they will simply have to edit images made by DALL-E. This will reduce the strain of their job, freeing them up to work on more accounts than ever before.? Though the crux of the concern is when no strain will be required from them at all.?

?Varun Tikku?