The lure of the new, is Artificial Intelligence changing photography?
Will AI change they way we see photos, hear music, enjoy art?
We live in time of incredible technological advancement on so many fronts. We have amazing technology in our pockets in the form of a smartphone, we have incredible camera technology that is able to capture images that, in some cases, were not able to be captured, just a few short years ago. Think of how mirrorless cameras have changed the photography landscape, how drones have become pervasive in videography and now, we stand on the brink of yet another perceived breakthrough…artificial intelligence (AI)
Now, the first thing to point out about AI is that it’s not really anything new. AI has been around in various forms for a long time, it has now reached a new level as the hardware driving it, has surpassed certain barriers. We have much more powerful computing systems, intensely powerful algorithms and of course, an almost infinite source of information on the internet. All of this combined has become the sweet spot for this new surge in AI. The question is this, is AI all it is being made out to be? Will AI replace artists, writers, photographers and other creatives? Well…thats what this article is about, my ramblings and musings about the future of photography in an AI world?
Should photographers be scared of AI?
In a single word…NO. I dont believe that AI can replace a human photographer anytime soon and the reason is simply this… AI images are simply created from the AI bot scraping and lifting (stealing in most cases) images from the internet and doing some combining, blending and other digital gymnastics to come up with a “new” image. The reality is the image is new in the sense of the combination of images, but the components are pieces of perhaps hundreds of images that have been digitally blended together. So, until AI can go out physically and create an image, I don’t think we will see anything groundbreaking.
I see AI images flooding different parts of photography, much like any other photographic trends have in the past, think of HDR (where did that go?)or panoramic stitching. These were, at one time, big trends in photography, but now, they are just part of the photographers arsenal of tools to use. I think AI will become the same. As a photographer, I have no desire to sit behind my computer screen to “make photos” I would rather be out in the forest, at the sea, in the mountains making photos. Thats really part of what makes me excited as a photographer, coming home with a great image is amazing, but being out in nature, in gorgeous light or a breathtaking scene is really a big part of the appeal too. So do I want to spend hours inside “creating” an image in my computer? nope!
Will AI replace real photos?
I do think that in some industries AI will be useful. Think of the schematics that are put together for a new building development, or an architectural “blue sky” plan…or maybe a new jet liner, or cruise ship. In these types of industries, I can see there being a very strong application for AI. Even in the world of digital manipulation like, perhaps you take an image of yourself and want it to look like you are in Antarctica, of course you could do that in Photoshop, but the AI systems could do it in a couple of minutes, even seconds…so that might be useful and fun. I think it could also be used in the graphic design world to create new posters, or artistic renditions for use in print or online media. I do believe there is a market for this, but I am not sure, AI can replace things like headshots, wedding photography, landscape photography or even architectural and food photography. The reason is, that kind of photography is capturing images of a real person, product or place. AI cannot do that, not right now anyway…hehe.
In the example below, AI needs a “foundational” image to begin with, it cannot create an image of the person. So it really is flawed in the sense of creating original work.
Will you buy a print created by a computer?
The ultimate question is this….would you pay $1000 for a print of a landscape that has been generated by a computer and doesn’t exist in the real world? I dont think I would. I might buy an artists painting or even a graphic artists photoshop creation, but a machines rendition? Probably not. Would you listen to a song, created by an AI bot or watch a movie created by a machine. Right now, my answer would be no. Why is this? Well, the truth is, we are human and the human experience is unique. The way we interact and live our lives is by identifying with other humans and their experiences. Think of an autobiography that has been written by someone well known, or a great biopic of a powerful business leader or visionary. The lessons that are told in those books and movies are human lessons, told by humans and to understand them, you need to be human. I find it difficult to believe that a machine can truly emulate the human experience…I don’t believe it can. So again, would you, would I buy a print made by a computer…no.
So, should we be worried about AI?
In the short term, there is a lot of hype and excitement and a fair dose of fear around AI. For me, the main business case for AI is to make our lives more efficient, more effective and to enable us to things quicker. AI does meet many of those criteria, but will it ever truly replace what humans can do. I think in some cases, it might cause some human jobs to become obsolete, this has happened with every technological revolution (Steam, electricity and Information Tech) I don’t have a crystal ball, but based on past history (I could be way off here) I think in a few years, AI will be another solution in the quiver of the ever growing technology revolution and its true value will be in its ubuiqity and universal use…yes, it may make some jobs go away, but it will also enable new markets and new worlds to open up for others…having said that…lets see where this goes!!