If you don’t spend time exploring ai, new versions of ai, new ways of using ai, you’re going to take the word of the writers and artists who are actively engaged in “training” our own replacements. If, on the other hand, you are an artist yourself, wondering what’s going to happen to “human art,” you are not alone. Don’t be lulled into sleep by the promise of better jobs, better economies, better tasks for humans. We’ve seen the future when AI wins and it’s not pretty.

Just last week, 60 Minutes did a segment on Humans in the Loop. All of our FB, IG, TikTok, content goes through a review process. If it’s flagged by someone online it goes into a moderated review with humans looking and blocking harmful images. What happens to the humans being forced to look at all the murder, violence, suicide, and mahem? They are having a hard time returning to normal living after seeing what we’re capable of when we have the “free speech” ethics of Elon Musk and the puritanical ideas about women, sex, and what’s good honest entertainment.

Reality TV is a harsh non-reality. A black mirror, if you will. Our online worlds are the same. The TikTok’s my daughter uses as an anesthetic are part of the same system of rank, choice, and celebrity. Terrible influence on her brain. But I’m “dad” and she doesn’t have to listen to me now. She’s 22.

So, where are we?

Just for fun, today, I saw a line drawing that inspired me.

There was no attribution, so I didn’t know how to use and then credit the artist. The same way I can’t do it in this post. Social media and AI do not care about copyright laws or attribution.

First I tried ChatGPT. The results were not interesting. So, on the recommendation of ChatGPT I moved to Dall-e, same company, different training. And after a few tweaks, some false starts, and some “variations” I came up with this result.

Along the way I came up with a few items (prompts) you might want to try in your generative-ai recipes.

• liminal
• digital art
• unlikely
• 3D rendering
• futuresynth

I’d love to hear what you’re working on with AI and how you are generating successful results.

John McElhenney — LinkedIn