Rethinking AI's Impact on Creative Work

The tone of the generative AI conversation among tech enthusiasts has largely been defined by optimism and a sense of wonder. For the average person, the capabilities of AI are simply amazing. Naturally, many industries have capitalized on this enthusiasm to increase profit and drive adoption, regardless of ethics and legalities.

However, for the creative industry the tone has felt more dreadful. “Workforce displacement” is on the minds of many creatives – and for good reason: In February 2024, BuzzFeed announced a 16% layoff to "enable a more efficient cost structure and operational model; and the ability to accelerate innovation powered by AI and interactive content format."

Pfizer has developed a new generative AI platform called 'Charlie' which assists in creating digital media, emails, digital presentations, and writing medical articles. The platform was created for cost optimization and increased efficiency.

The SAG-AFTRA strike lasted for an unprecedented 118 days, in part due to intense negotiations concerning the use of Generative AI. The strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs.

AI in Creative Marketing Today

The concerns around job displacement within creative marketing are reasonable. Recently we’ve seen brands such as Burger King and A24 use fully AI-generated creative assets in marketing promotions.?

Ben Zhao, Neubauer, a Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago, provides some engineering-backed reasoning why this approach isn't sustainable:

With each iteration, the evolved model adds iteratively more error to the previous generation, moving further and further away from the ground truth that is subjective human standards. If we allow generative AI to destroy human creative industries, by displacing jobs and discouraging aspiring artists, we are heading towards a future where art and music styles are fixed and static, and we are doomed to listen and see the same styles forever.

But as we move through 2024, I believe that for creatives to advocate for their value, they should embrace incorporating AI into a human-centered process. Doing so is more than a strategic necessity; it's a new canvas for innovative creative expression.?

So how can creatives leverage AI tools to their advantage while also maintaining authenticity and protecting subjective human expression? By adopting a business-like mindset in utilizing AI, not just as a tool, but as a practice to spark new ways of thinking and creating.??

What Is Possible Today

First, let’s ground ourselves in the state of emerging AI tools in 2024, beyond image generation. OpenAI’s Sora is being tested with creatives to generate 100% AI-generated short films featuring remarkable fidelity.

Music and Sound

With kits.ai, you can train your own AI voice model, no matter how off-tune your singing might be. This technology allows you to not only correct your pitch but also to convert your voice into any song you desire.

You can even simply hum a tune and instantly transform your voice into an instrument using Musicfy.lol. Platforms like Suno.com are gaining traction by generating high-fidelity lyrical music from text alone.

Social Media + Deepfakes

The realism of AI-generated content is reaching new heights; a deepfake of Jennifer Aniston successfully convinced people they were buying $10 MacBooks, showcasing that many can no longer distinguish between AI-generated humans and real humans.

Video Production

Runway is revolutionizing video production with its impressive AI capabilities, offering advanced rotoscoping and content fill tools that provide a more user-friendly alternative to traditional industry standards..

Finally, AI creative startups are outperforming industry standard editing tools. For example, with one click, you can use websites like vidyo.ai to transform a longform video into several short-form cutdowns, each with auto focusing, auto cropping, and auto captioning.?

A New Innovative Canvas For Creativity?

While this may seem daunting on the surface, what this means is that creators are more empowered than ever to explore new disciplines. The traditional path for a creative tends to leave them confined to a single medium or output (“I’m a photographer” or “I’m a graphic designer.”) Now creatives are venturing into new creative expressions, using AI to build on and complement their skillsets.??

Visual Effects Artist: shanef3d

One of my favorite examples of this mindset in action is shanef3d, who exemplifies this new breed of creator. Merging traditional visual effects with 3D storytelling, he enriches his conventional workflow with AI-enhanced visuals. In his work "Anomaly in the Sky," Shane uses AI tools like ComfyUI for applying generative AI styles to 3D renders, seamlessly integrating these elements during post-production. This approach allows him to produce compelling, novel visuals.

Multi-disciplinary Artist: Stephanie Dinkins

Another example is Stephanie Dinkins, a highly respected transdisciplinary artist, professor, and advocate whose work focuses on the intersection of art, technology, race, gender, and our future histories. Dinkins combines various forms of art like installations, video, photography, and software development to create engaging and thought-provoking experiences. In “Not the Only One”, Dinkins trained an AI on three generations of Black women’s stories. The goal was to give the AI cultural roots, a deep historical perspective, and a unique lens through which to understand the world.??

Musical Artist: Holly Herndon

Holly Herndon, a singer-songwriter based in Berlin, who wanted to expand past the limitations of her physical body when developing new music. So four years ago she trained a machine intelligence, “Spawn” on human voices to be a new part of her ensemble. Spawn has evolved into Holly+, the musician’s vocal digital twin that she has allowed others to create music with.??

Visual Artist: Alexia Adana

Similarly, AI has allowed me to enhance my own artistic body of work. My goal is to bridge the physical and digital with immersive animations and audio-reactive visuals, but I don't have years of animation experience or knowledge of music production tools like Ableton.

This evolving body of work has only been made possible through AI. Combining my skills in After Effects, Touch Designer, and Blender with AI tools like ComfyUI and Runway expand my abilities to produce, edit, and manage the creative chaos, enabling me to focus on innovative expression.

Go Experiment!?

By strategically integrating AI into our creative processes, we can push the boundaries of what's possible. Here’s how you can strategically harness AI to expand your creative dimensions and ensure your work retains its human essence:

1. Define Your Goal: Start with a clear purpose. Whether it's revolutionizing your artistic expression or incorporating new tools to enhance your craft, understanding your "why" will guide your use of AI. For instance, using AI not just to automate, but to reach new heights of personal artistic achievement.
2. Assess AI’s Role: Determine how AI can complement your innate skills. Think of AI as a collaborator that enhances aspects of your projects that are otherwise laborious or challenging.
3. Select Suitable Tools: Choose AI technologies that align with your specific creative needs and fill in the gaps of your existing skills.
4. Iterate and Collaborate: Maintain your creative integrity by starting projects with your own ideas and visuals, using AI to explore new perspectives and expand upon those concepts. Collaborate extensively, both with AI and human partners, to refine and elevate your work.
5. Document the Process: Keep a detailed record of your AI interactions. This not only helps in refining your creative process but also in sharing with the community on new processes or ways of thinking.

By integrating AI thoughtfully, we can enhance our capabilities without losing the personal touch that defines our art.