Death of the Artist: Is AI Responsible? - - How it works, and what it means - BradleyMichael.co
Cute right?
This image was created using new technology called Mid Journey AI. It’s a subject that has gained some popularity this week, and one I wanted to cover as I have been using AI in my workflow for some time now.
Mid Journey itself is a tool with immense power, in that if you can speak it’s language…
It will produce incredible works of art in a matter of minutes.
Artists across the world are standing up and saying that this will be the death of the artist, the true reason I decided to write this blog today.
In this blog we will take a look at not only the nuts and bolts of how this software works, but also how it’s already being used across the world to create unreal works of art.
The Rift:
I think universally we can all see how beautiful these images are.
But it seems some are excited about the future of this technology, and some are terrified.
I’ve heard many say that real artists spent years honing and perfecting their craft, and that to use a tool like AI is a mockery of their hard work.
I’ve seen others that are leaning into it, but they fall into two camps as well..
They are either first learning how to make art through the software, and loving that people are enjoying their creations as well.
Or
They are a seasoned artist who is already trying to push the software into new directions, to start ahead of the curve.
Either way you look at it, I think the healthy approach to anything new that threatens me is a healthy curiosity. If something is going to change the entire industry, I have every intention to not get left behind. So that’s what I did, and I ended up falling in love with this tool.
I’ll show you why here in a bit, let’s look at what it actually is first.
Our first stop is an application called Mid Journey, from my research this has been one of the most popular AI art services. So let’s start with their website.
Step 1 - Arrive at Overwhelming Text Wall
Legitimately want to know, did anyone else get to this page and say, “Wow. This isn’t Mid Journey, this is looking like Mid Odyssey”
Ok dumb joke aside, any time the front page of a website looks like the matrix we have to think this probably isn’t as easy as just pushing a button.
But who knows?
Anywho, after a brief signup for their trial period. (Seems like you get around 200 images free and then you have to subscribe to their services.
The top package is $30 a month.
Step 1.5 - Realize, it’s on Discord.
If you are unfamiliar with Discord, know it’s a social media / communication platform. It runs like zoom mixed with facebook. The software is extremely popular in gaming communities. From my experience Discord has always been a better experience compared to trying to keep up with most social media, it allows me to really filter down to what communities I want to participate in.
We even have our own little community on Discord for photography and art.
If you weren’t already using Discord, you may need to spend some time getting to know the platform before you get into using this technology.
Step 2 - Find the Bot
So here is something unique to discord, bots! (Short for robots?)
These are handy little chunks of programming (typically with cute little personalities) that can automate and manage tasks inside of a discord server.
Are you still with me?...
No worries, let me simplify it.
In my server, sometimes we have “livestream your work days”. We will have 4-8 digital artists in a digital workspace all sharing screens and making magic.
But one thing we found was that everyone had microphones, and music. Meaning we all had some very convoluted airwaves and feedback to cringe at.
What I did was implement a bot to play my Spotify playlists as a member of the group, so we all were listening to the same song through discord.
This bot just allows you to communicate with the AI, and deliver commands through a chat window. The bot will then return a link to the image stored within mid journeys own storage / servers. Nothing actually happens on your machine other than the prompt you want the AI to interpret.
Step 3 - /Imagine
Seriously, that’s step 3? It is, all you have to do to get Mid Journey to give you back a piece of art is type “/Imagine ….” and fill in the blank with whatever you want to see. For example, let’s use a classic art assignment.
We will input
"/imagine a tall glass of water"
"/imagine a tall glass of water"
Notice
The commands came back in a literal way, meaning the glass is tall and it does have water in it. However since we did not specify beyond a glass of water the programming decided to find close matches.
In this instance we have 2 still life images, a beach with a giant tall glass of water, and a strange glowing glass of water with no background.
I won’t lie to you,
My initial impressions were amazed, but also very skeptical.
I’m looking at this software / coding / whatever the heck it is knowing full well that true Artificial Intelligence hasn’t been accomplished, at least not publicly. So someone programmed parameters for this, in a very inventive and nearly intelligent functioning way. But at it’s base, that means this system is still binary. Which means we can control it.
I think as technology evolves we are learning that a machine can function intelligently, but that the base line intelligence for computers is not what we think of when we think of movies like the “Matrix” or “I, Robot” (Is it 1 or I?) ((The internet really was no help on that one.))
So What Now?
That is up to you.
Most people seem to be the most worked up about this part of the process.
Many I have talked to are saying that “If you can just type in pretty yellow butterfly, then I don’t think it qualifies as real art.”
Personally, I went on to learn about the parameters and to start to figure out how to initiate command prompts that would reliable recreate a person for example. I will be going into this more in later blogs.
But that’s the question though isn’t it,
can it qualify as real art?
Does it really kill the artist,
or is it really just another tool at their disposal?
I think we’d both be fools if either of us believe I am going to change your mind about the ethics and impacts of using Artificial Intelligence, and frankly I’m not even here to crack that egg.
All I hope to do in writing this blog is give you a glimpse into how this tool has changed and inspired my creative process and how I see this technology becoming a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. Whether or not you believe it’s the right way to do art, I think the most important message I can stress is where will you be if your worst fears come true, and AI actually does kill the Artist?
Personally, I’ll be sailing that ship.
Not being tossed out of it.
Art is in the Details
I like to think that everyone on earth has created something.
As in the action of actually making something from something else.
I don’t care if that something was a pencil holder/ash tray/jewelry holder/paper weight/turtle you made as a kid in Mrs. Smiths art class. We all have something.
Actually where I’m from everyones mom has one of those sitting in a box somewhere, or in a basement.
Let’s use that as an example for story time, it’s relatable right?
Think back to when you were a kid and you had pottery class. You decided you were going to make an amazing pencil holder for your mom. You were so excited for that pencil holder to come out of that big oven, and you picked out an awesome color for the glaze.
The teacher calls your name, and you walk your little feet up to the front of the class with a big smile.
The teacher hands you back this.
Is it Art?
It wasn’t crafted by the hands of a master.
It wasn’t crafted with precision or purpose.
It was made with joy and love though, and to the person who received that gift it brought them more joy than any finer art could ever hope to.
That’s the point I am making. Artists don’t die, they find the rules and they break them. Even when they change. An artist is a story teller, the medium or the process doesn’t make the art. Just as the brand of guitar doesn’t make the band. Art is just something that makes you feel something.
It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that, art just is.
Or if you prefer the dictionary definition
“Art is the conscious use of the imagination in the production of objects intended to be contemplated or appreciated as beautiful, as in the arrangement of forms, sounds, or words.”
