Module 5: Advanced Multimedia Tools

In Module 3, while creating my TWINE story, I used Padlet, a Generative AI-powered tool, for the first time to add images to my story. I wanted my readers to visualize the story which was based on a Philippine Folklore, but I couldn’t pick random images from the internet as they wouldn’t match the look and feel of the story. Drawing images of my own was also not feasible within the given time frame. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and accuracy of the images generated by Padlet, although there were some minor inaccuracies. However, these inaccuracies did not significantly affect the quality of the images and I was able to achieve the desired artist-inspired look for my images.

One of my prompts for my TWINE Story: Asian-looking man wearing a white shirt and red pants, farmer. Amorsolo-inspired look.

Here are the images I have generated for my TWINE Story:

For one of my current courses, Community Art Education, I decided to use stablediffusion to create images and a poster design. I have designed my poster for the Socially Engaged Art activity in collaboration with the my chosen community of interest , however, I am curious to see how a Generative AI-powered visualization tool will interpret my creative brief.

I initially attempted to provide the theme of my project “Between darkness and light, there is a space to dream” (In Filipino version – Sa Pagitan ng Dilim at Liwanag, May puwang para mangarap) to the AI tool, but I received unsatisfactory output. I realized that I may have not given sufficient direction to the tool. Therefore, I decided to experiment with different styles such as SAI-Digital, SAI-Cinematic, and Ad-Advertising. Here are the images I obtained by playing around with these styles.

In my second try, I attempted to create a thorough description, as if requesting a graphic designer to produce a poster for me. I didn’t specify any particular color as my main focus was to achieve a visual composition with contrasting light and dark parts that would correspond to the overall theme.

My second prompt is as follows:

“Create a poster for a socially engaged art program that aims to assist underprivileged youth in reaching for their dreams despite the difficulties they may face in life. The poster should have a simple look, featuring a scene with a single person standing in the center. The left part of the scene should be darkened, while the right part should be illuminated as if by a spotlight. There should be no other people depicted in the image.”

And here are the images that I got, playing between the styles, SAI-Digital, SAI-Cinematic and Ad- Advertising.

I was able to obtain three acceptable images out of all the ones that were generated. I think they would be suitable with some minor adjustments. As a designer for over 20 years, I have always had a clear idea of what I want to achieve once I have determined a theme. Therefore, I believe that my evaluation of the AI-generated images may be somewhat biased.

The images generated by AI are impressive and have intricate details, but personally, I still prefer the design I created using Adobe Photoshop. I think this highlights the disadvantage of AI-generated images. If you have a clear vision of the look you want to achieve and the story you want to tell, AI generative tools may not fully satisfy your needs. However, they can still be useful in assisting you to further visualize your design or provide inspiration.

The poster I have created for my CAE project:

The article “3 Ways Generative AI Is Changing Media Creation” by Falon Fatemi explains how AI can create new images inspired by certain artists, like an entirely new Rembrandt. That is how I see it comparing the AI-generated images I got for my TWINE Story and The ones I got for my CAE Project, which is something that I am passionate about considering that it is for the community that I am interested in helping. But then again, this is just my initial foray with AI generative tool and perhaps, I need to learn how to write a better prompt for the AI tool to achieve what I want.

Reflections

• What might you use AI tools for moving forward? What would you not use them for?

Considering the quick turnaround of this tool, I intend to use it as a tool for students to visualize lessons or get information, provided that they use appropriate referencing. Although I find the output of these AI tools for Advertisements or Theme-based images not completely satisfying, they can be useful for image generation.

• What ethical concerns do you have (or not have) about the use of some of these tools?

One of my biggest ethical concerns is related to copyright infringement. Nowadays, with AI-generated images becoming more common, people are using these images and passing them off as their own creations without specifying that they are AI-generated. This is a common occurrence on social media, where individuals post content generated by AI without disclosing its source. There are also instances when these people will defensively explain that they created it because they put in the effort to create the prompt to generate the images. While I recognize the effort put into creating the prompts, I believe it is morally sound to reference or specify the tool used to generate the images. This will not only give proper credit to the tool but also ensure that people are not misled into believing that the design is entirely the work of the designer.

It takes time and effort to create an output using design software, unlike the instant output that one can get through AI. I recognize the hard work that people put in to create effective prompts, but it is still important to be transparent and specify the AI generative tool that was used to create the output. This ensures the ethical use of AI technology.

Although looking at it from a different perspective, we can compare these emergence of AI generative tool with the emergence of design software during the 90s. Similar arguments arose when Adobe Photoshop was first introduced, which raised concerns from purists. As a designer who has worked with both traditional (hand-drawn) and digital media, I can attest that there is a significant difference between the two. While a designer can use software to create a design, they still rely on their skills to interpret the design brief. They may use the work of others as inspiration or reference, but it still requires creativity to come up with an original design.

As an art enthusiast, I find it disturbing that professional artists who have dedicated their lives to honing their craft, such as hyperrealism, and rely on it as their source of livelihood, might be overtaken or even surpassed by AI-generated images that are available for free. One of my Art Education professors once said that this is why AI keeps her awake at night. While I don’t believe AI will replace humans in the creative process, I do think it will have a significant impact on the job landscape for creative professionals.

• Where do you think these tools will be in their evolution in 2-3 years’ time?

I would think that these AI-generated visualization tools will become more advanced and inclusive. I also think that these tools will be more capable of generating high-quality images using a wide range of different languages. By that time, ethical guidelines will have been put in place to ensure proper crediting of the artists that have been used as inspiration.

References

OpenAI. (2023, Nov. 23). (stablediffusion response to a prompt to create images for a poster for a community art education program. https://stablediffusionweb.com/#ai-image-generator

OpenAI. (2023, Oct. 25). (Paddled response to a prompt to generate images for a story based on a Philippine folklore. padlet.com

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