Four Reasons Why I'm Not Using AI for Images

Four Reasons Why I'm Not Using AI for Images

AI has been around for a while now, and it seems like most of the people in my orbit are in two camps: they either love it and use it as much as possible, or steer completely clear of it. I’ve been in the latter camp, at least as far as my work life goes, until fairly recently. I’ve been playing with programs like Chat GPT and Perplexity to do research and get ideas for topics I might want to write about, or even to research organizations I might want to work with. It’s been an interesting exercise and a fun toy to play with, because the stakes are low—any of the writing I do is just for me, and not something I’m being paid to do.

The one thing I still won’t do with AI is create graphics. The thought of typing in a few words and having a program create the “perfect” image for me is really tempting, but it’s not worth the risk—AI images can pose significant challenges from a copyright standpoint. Here’s why I’m not using them, at least for now:

  1. I have no idea where the source images are coming from. AI-based art generators draw their inspiration from billions of images sourced across the internet, and it’s likely that many of those images are copyrighted by the original artists. Even if I’ve modified the AI images to make them more my own, there’s still ambiguity regarding ownership and attribution and who owns the final rights, and I don’t want to take the risk of being sued for copyright infringement.
  2. AI-generated images can’t be copyrighted. Copyright law requires human authorship for protection, so I want to make sure that I’m using design elements that I’ve either created myself, or sourced from stock sites that have clear copyright rules.
  3. I can’t guarantee that an image is unique unless I create it myself. If I type a prompt into an image generator, I have no idea if it’s producing the same image for me that it produced for someone else.
  4. And as a designer, AI-generated photos generally look a little off (at least to me). A lot of the photographs created by AI tend to look a bit like oil paintings, text looks funky and unreadable, and people often have too many hands or additional fingers.

So at least for the time being, if you’re hiring me to create a graphic for you, you can rest assured that I’m creating it myself using properly-sourced, non-copyrighted assets—I don’t want to rely on luck when it comes to the law.

Laurel Reynolds, Graphic Design for Print and Web

Design partner to web developers, art directors, and social media managers. I can organize your content so you can get it across to your online market.

1 个月

I don't use it for images because of being trained to be highly respectful of copyright infringement. But... I do love your idea of asking AI to think up ideas to write about. And it's fantastic that you assure your readers you aren't using AI for graphics.

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Helen Knight

Designers and Agencies hire me to learn how to double their revenue with high paying clients and communicate effectively on social media | Client Acquisition | Brand Communication.

11 个月

Love the perspective Amy Weiher

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Steve Horn

I build customized WordPress websites. I'm quick and reliable.

11 个月

Great article, Amy Weiher. I love your graphic. Now, of the two camps you mention, I see the All-In camp as seeing there IS no other camp while the Predominantly-Out camp sees the two camps clearly but I would say there's much more middle ground and, not to be a waffler, I tend to identify there. As for graphics, I can say I really don't like AI-generated graphics. If a picture says a thousand words then why say so much with something so obviously artificial. It's quite offputting for me. Meanwhile, if I make enough saving time with AI, perhaps I can have extra $$ to appropriate for real quality work like Amy's.

Keith Bowman

Creative Director / Art Director / Graphic Designer and Illustrator

11 个月

Not to mention a good concept is really hard to nail in a few key prompts. A solid design often comes from collaboration and a healthy amount research and refinement. I’m not opposed to AI, but unfortunately corporations have shown that restraint is something that they are not willing to exercise. Therefore AI will continue to reshape the creative process and in its wake decimate the careers of many talented individuals.

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Nadine Noble

Communications Designer | Bringing clarity and style to reports and resources

11 个月

I feel the same way, Amy. I've been hesitant to make that leap. (Love the graphic for this post, btw ?? )

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