HAS AI ALREADY DEMOLISHED AN INDUSTRY WITHIN THE DIGITAL WORLD ?

End of an Era? AI Changes the Game for Stock Sites

Surviving in the arts has never been easy, especially when it comes to film and photography. With smart phones giving everyone access to high-end cameras, the competition has become fiercer, and the need for professionals has dwindled. Whilst a lot of work still exists, it can often be a tricky industry to navigate as it changes, grows, and adapts to new technology, practices, and ideas.

For a long time, stock websites such as Adobe Stock, have offered artists an opportunity to make money from unused footage. If you had extra B-roll, or just wanted to practice some shots with a camera, stock websites gave you the opportunity to make money off them. Of course, you never made a lot, and it was not reliable, but the option to potentially earn money from unused footage gave you another opportunity to make money.?

Stock websites gave artists, and still do, the chance to have yet another revenue stream. However, with the development of AI technology, this could be under threat.

Recently, whilst flicking through Adobe Stock, I came across an image that didn’t really look ‘normal’. It wasn’t entirely fake, but it had a glossy look that was a sure giveaway that this was not a human. Of course, this was an AI generated image.

With so many people searching for specific buzz words, key phrases, and other specific footage and photo ideas, stock websites are the perfect place for AI visuals to dominate the medium. Are a lot of people suddenly downloading images of builders? No problem, AI can create tons of images of builders. Someone with no photography skills or videography capabilities can now generate images for every potential search term in minutes.

This means that people could flood the market with AI images. The higher quality pictures done by real photographers who utilise the site as a second income source are now drowned out by the AI products. With the technology only getting better as well, soon they will be just as good as the professional photos. Sure, that’s great for the end user. You have more pictures to choose from, but for the struggling artist, it’s now one less avenue stream for them to use.?

For an industry that creates so much of the media you digest, it often gets very little help, support, or recognition. Previous political issues proved that when the government tried to urge people away from artistic degrees. Despite probably tucking into their favourite Netflix show that very night, they implied that the arts is a wasted pursuit of peoples time. With education turning its back on the industry, revenue streams becoming less and less, the future is not bright. Whilst AI currently is a tool to be used, it does create another level of competition and another threat to many of our outlets. However, I truly believe, that good art will always find its place and no matter how good AI becomes, it can never replicate or create the essence of an individuals artistic style.

For now, expect stock sites to become flooded with AI art. It’s inevitable.?