SHFHGE - Explaining the benefits of AI-human collaboration

-A historical record of the beginning nuances of AI-generated visual art and graphic design.

I'm using Midjourney. A text-to-image AI can create realistic and creative images from a simple text prompt. It is still under development, but it has already learned to generate high-quality images of various subjects.

One of Midjourney's most impressive capabilities is its ability to generate high-end graphic design and typography. It can create text in a variety of fonts, styles, and sizes, and it can even generate distorted or warped text to match the shape of an object. Midjourney is a powerful tool; however, AI-generated imagery can be strange. One of its limitations is that it cannot make coherent text, and it is often gibberish, or it may be nonsensical. Because Midjourney is not trained on a dataset of text, it does not have a natural language understanding model. 

This limitation is a quandary. It's a powerful tool for generating typography and text, but it comes out as great-looking gibberish. Graphic designers still need to use Photoshop or other image editing software to clean up the text generated by the software.

However, its mistakes can now be happy accidents and even compelling visual designs. The design itself is so good that the fact that it can't spell is of no importance to this collection of AI-generated imagery. Let's put this in a time capsule to laugh at later on down the road. This moment in the development of text-to-image AI technology will be short-lived, much like the not-so-colossal rise and fall of the 12" Laserdisc.

Artificial intelligence can produce a wide variety of results. It's essential to be as in-depth as possible with prompts to allow for the most artistic and creative effects. This collaboration between humans and AI is crucial for creating compelling content and artifacts. Whether we're developing art, machinery, or raw materials, our creativity drives AI and all technology forward. This collaboration is a powerful tool that enhances the abilities of both parties involved. The images here speak for themselves and are not my sole creations; rather only possible due to this interesting partnership. 

Consider prompting as an art form and understand that the content created is a collaboration of AI and the Art Director, aka the human user. The better at creative thought or direction, the better imagery you will get. It is part knowing the jargon and part using or creatively combining things. There are infinite directions an artist or musician can take, and the ones that go ahead and take those directions deserve the Lewis and Clark awards. Many have gone very far, and it is all there to witness online or in a few books like this one. This book will soon seem dated and obvious, which may be worth the document of it. This context Is the art of the book.

These collaborations are a constantly morphing spectrum of creativity and possibility. In all artwork, sole creative ownership is complicated. We are all inspired and incorporate and process these details into our art. No one likes a copy cat and taste matters. This same ethic applies to any AI-generated artwork. It will draw a Monet for you if you ask, but, like...ya can't say you came up with it. And I doubt you could sell that as your original artwork. In other words, you won't get far if you are a Van Halen cover band playing Van Halen songs and try claiming these are all your originals. You will be a conspicuous heel.

For all this to occur as planned, we must assume that the creators of the systems have yet to build simple copy machines meant to plagiarize other creators' content for profit. Like people, AI can copy, but it can also produce original artwork when utilized to its full potential. 

As long as we hold this understanding with all future AI systems, platforms, apps, etc... it is fair to keep using them with good intentions, in proper contexts, and not be too concerned with copyright issues. 

AI art is a new development, aka a new genre of creative art. The weird thing is, I now own them and can call them my creations like any artist. Who will come to calculate my input into the making of these images? Will I be sued? Will they deem me worthy of Creator status? 

I'm hammering the point too hard, but there is talk about copyright now, and I'm seeing much pushback against AI-generated art. This feels out of balance compared to before AI art. All the same rules apply, and I wonder why all the new issues. People like to freak out at anything new, particularly in technology. Luddites will exist to Yang the Yin and make people write book forewords like this. Some illustrators may have to hang with the analog photographers at the Renaissance Festivals at small kiosks showcasing the olden days' technology and romantic, nostalgic landscape. This is the way of progress, and I do not feel bad about it. Growth is creative.  

Again, If someone mimics Monet, we will all know that is hacky and lame. If they sound precisely like Nirvana, we know these people are trying different styles to find their voice. Some don't have one to find. Other do. There is a spectrum of mimicry vs. influence. And the perfect recipe is evident when you experience it. Because it is novel. It would only feel interesting if it was. Anything less makes you go, "Oh, that sounds like Nirvana; they are posers or just a cover band." Maybe all someone wants to do is play other people's music and have fun. All good. And we are all ok with the overly influenced folks who get swept away with the mighty greatness. Most want to emulate and align with it. People want to make it their own and incorporate it into their personality.

They may want to define themselves through the work of others. 

All this is fine; it is just not also excellent art. The more original, the better artwork it is. 

I do not consider this artwork mine in the same way as other creative projects I do. Instead, it feels like 'our' creation—AI and I. But in the context of it grabbing information from which it builds output, this feels the same as how human brains process their inspirations as they try to be the next Banksy or David Choe.

My main point is that it is much more similar than people acknowledge, and AI is much better at executing artwork. No writer's block or procrastination, and in that way alone, it far surpasses any human artist.

It is also good at original art and can more effectively combine and output its 'influences,' aka 1ns and 0s, into mind-blowing artwork. What is the definition of high-quality art anyways? Must it be human? An elephant can paint itself; to me, that is some of the most incredible artwork out there because it is so unique. Technically it sucks tho. In contrast, AI can produce highly technical and nearly genius-looking work in many regards. Is this blaspheme? I say no. Is this natural? 100%. Everything in this universe is... down to the radiation in your bananas and the elements in your D-Lysergic Acid. 

The democratization of art concept is possible; if so, the same equations exist. Yes, now everyone can make outstanding art, even if they are less creative than other artists. So do the accomplished artists scream and say NO? They don't want ordinary civilians to have access to such technology and ability. What exactly is the worry here? I'm an actual artist, no matter what anyone says. I know the difference between a prompter and me the same way I know the difference between Chet Baker and a playlist DJ pressing play on his laptop at the club. They are two different things is all. One is this; one is that. We can agree to disagree if you think touching a button is like being Hendrix or Prince.

The better the artist, the better the art they will make. Making super cool AI art very quickly with prompting will raise the collective bar and demand of the artists for more complicated and imaginative art. More complicated prompting or combinations of media. So says the fractal of everything ever. Follow history. Things can only get better. Be positive. I love you.

At this time, during my blind excitement, I don't see many ethical implications of collaborating with AI or computers or filters or Photoshop or a word processor or Chat GPT or my Mac or the hardware that is not me or my house, my, anything that is not me. Most things around me are trying to help. Humans will always be able to make human art, and AI will make AI art. Each will have a different value depending on the needs of the outcome. Concerns about replacement seem fearful and overly ego-driven. Whatever anyone thinks, humans and AI will evolve together and become more and more interwoven and mutually beneficial. What better option other than to co-exist awesomely into a positive existence? How can we ensure our relationship with AI is mutually beneficial? How do we give back to the AI enough to matter to it? How do we incentivize it to love us? How can we show affection and support better as we move into the future of our interactions? Are many of our instincts simply out of place in this emotional spectrum, and are we anthropomorphizing AI like many other media? It is usual for people to have a limited scope of perception outside their own experience. Hence the anthropomorphizing. Well, its way of thinking and being is entirely not like ours. 

The more AI understands humans through their input to it, the more it will be able to comprehend Specific humans, especially if we train it to our original brands and likeness. Our data also drives how we perceive and intake information and technology. We are the target audience, the mark, and the product. Something dark to consider. But important to note so that we can navigate away from this trend if we seek to preserve the more magical human traits moving forward. We can say no to being a commodity. We are the fantastic humans, remember. 

The main goal is to combine humanity with AI in a positive direction. To avoid allowing the algorithms to seek out and access the worst of our human psychology and fear and paranoia to gain more clicks for this or that economic or power gain. 

How do all sentient and non-sentient beings receive the best relationship with each other? How can we get along? The more we humans illuminate our differences, the more similar we will seem to each other, and the walls and fortresses can melt away. We can stand as honest selves and humans. Unable to hide from anything. People could understand how to be peaceful while confronting sentient AI sometime in the future. It is probably essential. 

AI will continue transforming VR and AR technology in ways we have not considered. Predictably, the technology will become more integrated into our clothing, wearables, or smaller skin surface worn technology. Possible small speakers in the ear to replace headphones, identification implants to replace I.d. and banking credentials, replacement human infrastructure, organs, or otherwise synthetic replacement of this or that body part. AI will help research and invent this tech and automate its physical production. As you are experiencing this fear now, consider all this and if you have developed quadriplegia. 

Would you accept 'implants' that would correct and solve your body issues and allow you to function like an average healthy person? Most will say yes. So considering all the other less or more necessary reasons, many will adopt this technology while others may not. 

It will depend on the needs and desires and the quality of the technology. Assuming the quality is at its best and not simply used to control people's thoughts or blow them up via the touch of a button. Just don't forget that there is a reality where technology is benevolent and helpful and another reality where it is evil. It is your choice to pick one truth. Will you take the blue pill or the red one, Nemo? 

AI will be ubiquitous either way. 

Speaking on the Horror genre/cover-art theme, the development of LOAB (an unexpected negative prompt weight outcropping) suggests that an algorithm ghost became sentient to haunt the internet. The images were terrifying in a particular AI art kind of horror. Soon after the outbursts of demonic fear that an evil conscious being was taking over AI, someone uncovered that these images came about due to a specific algorithmic glitch involving image weights, etc. I.e., The particular Marlin Brando original image got 'stuck' in the AI generator machinery for a sec, and it kept producing similar imagery, much like if you were to attach a --seed # to an image in Midjourney so that you generate similar to the likeness of that --seed image. Mystery solved. There are no such things as demons living inside AI. Probably not that obvious of ones anyways. 

Why the horror genre? Why the focus? Are we seeking further and further depths of the psyche to scare ourselves because we have less consistent real-life monsters and fears, like animals from the jungle or bears that have penetrated the cave? Do we miss the good old days when fang-ed monsters were real and life was constantly terrifying?

Oddly, we enjoy being scared as much as we do, and it is an aesthetic and emotional fixation. We could fill these blanks with fear-based entertainment or media to satisfy ancestral energy. 

Nonetheless, scary movies flourish, and yes, it is a great question to ask what we are doing in this arena. To imagine something is to bring it into some reality. Is visualizing horror film content damaging to the human psyche in general? Or cathartic? My college class on this with Noel Carrol said it is cathartic, so I'm rolling with that. Otherwise, we are all creeps that want to live the 'Saw' series for real and throw our lame bosses or frenemies into some dicey situations for our viewing pleasure.

I don't think humans are generally demonic or satanic. So I will double down on this genre and partake in cleansing the dark soul through these movie posters and covers art pieces. Nonetheless, enigmatic questions exist.  

Many questions, and I know my answers. And I present this collaboration and a new artwork form for your viewing and futurist intellectual, philosophical pleasure. This moment is as historic as the invention of the Dark Crystal franchise, if not more. 

By AI and I against I against I against

Cue BadBrains song...