Jobpress NG
Apr 10, 2024 
2 mins to read I’m always on the lookout for new technologies to help supercharge business communications – making them more engaging, effective and efficient - it’s why I first became fascinated by immersive technology.
I’m always on the lookout for new technologies to help supercharge business communications – making them more engaging, effective and efficient - it’s why I first became fascinated by immersive technology.
And what I have recently seen has blown me away - Artificial Intelligence (AI) that generates original images!
During the summer, I experimented with some of the latest AItext-to-imageandimage-to-imagegeneration tools available. I wanted to explore how they could fit into the traditional creative workflow and support business communications. I've shared my top three takeaways below along with some links so you can experience for yourself.
But first, here's a little background about the technology.
AI image generators are apps or bots that apply computational deep learning to a text description or a human-made image to either generate an original image or transform a simple picture into a spectacular complete image.
Put simply, withtext-to-imageAI you just think of something you want to see; type it in; tweak some settings and hey presto! – in only a few seconds the AI will generate a response to your description based on the millions of data points it was originally trained with.
You can direct the AI to generate an image in a huge variety of artistic styles, covering everything from early cave paintings through to photorealistic images taken with the latest high-end cameras by an acclaimed photographer. Or, as below, discover how the artist Gustav Klimt may have painted a donkey on a unicycle!
In fact, the quality of some of the AI image generators is so impressive, that earlier this month CNN reported that an artwork unknowingly created by AI had scooped the top prize in an art competition (see link below).
Today, most of the big tech giants are developing AI image generators. The likes of Google, Meta and Microsoft have all developed their own image tools, which are trained using tens of billions of reference points - many times more than are used today!
But facing greater public scrutiny, these bigger brands have stumbled over how best to regulate these new powerful tools before launching them. This has allowed smaller AI tech companies to surge ahead in the race to get image generators to the masses.
Consequently, August saw a flurry of AI image generation tools released. These included:DALL-E2,Mid JourneyandStable Diffusion(see links below). It’s the latter of these which has caused the most disruption; theStable Diffusionteam released their generator as open-source code, which means it’s now free for anyone to use or build upon. This has led to a range of online apps offering free or cheap image generation. Plus, you can also download and run it on your own computer, (subject to graphics card) – for the first time, giving us all access to unlimited copyright-free AI-generated imagery whenever you need it.
AI imagery looks good and it’s quick and cheap to produce. This makes it ideal for creating 'disposable imagery', such as the single-use thumbnails we might use in newsletters and social posts to keep our content looking fresh.
But if you’ve ever tried to find free, copyright-free imagery for commercial use, you'll know it can be quite time-consuming. The alternative, of course, is to use stock photography credits to buy a professional HD image - but if you only need a small image that you intend to use once, this is expensive and unsustainable. Plus, with stock images you run the risk that others are using the same image – including competitors.
This is where AI image generators can make a huge difference. Perhaps more importantly, compared to free online and paid for stock images, AI imagery gives you greater creative control to ensure you have the optimal graphics to accompany your messages.
Also, AI excels at creating simple images of objects, which can be easily extracted from their backgrounds and used like a modern alternative to clipart.
One thing to be aware of; the output of images generated varies across each platform. I noticed that some of them (Dall- E2 & Stable Diffusion) sometimes have weird and wonderful quirks when generating photorealistic images of living creatures. Check out the AI-generated photo of a baby chimp above - it's super-cute and realistic, but did you spot the glitch? - Clue: count its fingers!
AI image generators are also great tools for creating compelling visuals, especially when it comes to illustrating conceptual ideas, unique designs and quotes in presentations.
A well-placed bespoke AI-generated image can help enhance communication of your narrative. I’ve already seen some great examples ofMid Journeyimages used in this way.
With teams at Microsoft and Apple researching AIimage-to-textgenerators, I expect we will shortly see these AI features integrated into future versions of PowerPoint and Keynote, respectively.
This last point is perhaps the most significant. We all have times when our “creative juices” run low or something we’ve designed needs moreje ne sais quoi. When this happens, AI tools offer a great way to get our neurons firing by digitally augmenting our human creativity.
By using AI as part of a circular and iterative workflow, rather than a linear process, we too can benefit from its deep learning reference points. The potential applications for this are huge! But focusing on possible use cases today, AI can help us visualise designs for: documents, web design; video storyboards, marketing collateral, products and exhibition stands and more.
In light of the surprise release ofStable Diffusion, I expect the bigger tech brands – driven by shareholders – will roll out their AI image generators as soon as possible. This will be followed by the start of AI image generators that can produce 3D digital objects, which will accelerate the move towards Web 3.0 and the Metaverse. Adoption of these tools will undoubtedly disrupt the traditional stock photography business, but I hope it also encourages us develop a greater appreciation and respect for the skills and stories behind the art and skills of our fellow humans.
Here are a few links to get you started, most offer a free trial in return for registering. If you found this article informative or you have any questions, please comments below. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing what you create! (N.B. I am not affiliated with any of these).
Official Sites (free trial then paid for - registration required):
