In one of conversations with friends we talked about the future: professions, robots and other technologies. This was before the first signs of image generation services appeared. Frankly speaking, at that time, by all indications, such things were not on the horizon at all, or, rather, I did not know about them. I openly expressed my fear that in some near future I fear artificial intelligence, that it will break my current work model. To which I received a reasonable answer from a friend: “Well, it won’t be soon, it’ll be enough for our lifetime.” I added that “I wouldn’t be so sure.” This was around 2018, maybe a little earlier. Before the pandemic, before the real boom of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. In general terms this is how I can describe the state of mind of any sane person today - “it’ll be enough for our lifetime.”
It really looks unbelievable what is happening with artificial intelligence now. But similar things have happened many times in history. Take for example the advent of automobiles at the turn/beginning of the last century. The horse breeding industry that existed for centuries simply disappeared in about 20 years, and we are talking only about road transport. There was also the advent of electricity. I'm sure that when people began to realize that they could use light bulbs, the newspapers wrote something like: "Every home will have one and you won't have to think about the fact that the light in your house is turned on by simply pressing a switch." You don’t have to go far, I’ve seen similar conversations about the Internet and cellular communications.
In any kind of innovative change, the human factor must be taken into account. People are very conservative and inert in their behaviour. We love consistency, comfort and experience stress when we see something new and unknown. Of course there are many people who welcome change. Emotionally and physically, this is easier for the younger generation, who are ready to take risks where the old people will take a guaranteed safe path. Why not take a risk, especially when there is nothing to lose?
Conservatism leads to a disproportionate distribution of knowledge. We are now in a similar situation, where artificial intelligence, which is advancing at an alarmingly fast pace, is already being used by many in practice, partially or completely replacing traditional tools. And it turns out that someone has already automated almost 90% of their routine, while others continue to perform tasks the old fashioned way, as they say, by hand.
As an example, professional copywriters and illustrators still write and draw to order, while engines like Midjourney, which have stolen the achievements of the vast majority of artists, generate anything in a matter of seconds and do it for pennies.
In such a situation, professionalism, strategic thinking and experience come to the fore more than ever. An art director working in team with several illustrators is not much different from any other project manager, even if instead of an illustrator he has an image generator at hand. It requires observation, a vision for the future project and experience in real projects.
Here, all the magical tools that appear thanks to artificial intelligence are your current and future friends and colleagues. Everything that you previously didn’t have enough budget for now costs much less. A huge number of powerful tools are concentrated in the hands of the individual, which will allow you to carry out large-scale projects and not waste time on small details and unnecessary communication.
All this will lead to the emergence of very small companies with billion-dollar capitalizations. Teams of 10 or even one person. One person will be able to create full-length films, covering all stages of the production process. This sounds scary and intriguing at the same time.
Illustrators and artists turned out to be easy targets for AI in the path of this simplification. Which leads to the next thought - is there a place for a hard-working illustrator in this world? Unfortunately, in the traditional form only as a free artist, which is similar to the situation with horses, they were replaced by cars, but they did not disappear. There will be much fewer classical artists who just paint, but they will be very interesting and they will have connoisseurs. Most will adapt and expand their skills.
No matter how frightening everything described above may sound, you should not panic and run around looking for the “correct” answer to the question “what to do?” It is enough to develop in your own separate area of activity. In other words, cut your nose into the wind. Study new technologies and put them into practice. Constantly learn. Get used to the idea itself. that constant change is the new stability. If you approach it from this point of view, then the planning horizon, goals and objectives change. You can and should independently and consciously choose directions for self-study and look ahead to where and how you will apply the acquired knowledge.
This my first mail for a long time. Life has up and downs, things a little bit settled down, so I will continue with email letters. I'm working on landing page for my CRM, which now has name Liid.app If you followed me on social media accounts you probably already know it. There is also a free to participate Masterclass uploaded on Vector isometric illustration. Check it in Free resources section of my Kit8.school site.
See you in the next letter,
Dmitry.
It really looks unbelievable what is happening with artificial intelligence now. But similar things have happened many times in history. Take for example the advent of automobiles at the turn/beginning of the last century. The horse breeding industry that existed for centuries simply disappeared in about 20 years, and we are talking only about road transport. There was also the advent of electricity. I'm sure that when people began to realize that they could use light bulbs, the newspapers wrote something like: "Every home will have one and you won't have to think about the fact that the light in your house is turned on by simply pressing a switch." You don’t have to go far, I’ve seen similar conversations about the Internet and cellular communications.
In any kind of innovative change, the human factor must be taken into account. People are very conservative and inert in their behaviour. We love consistency, comfort and experience stress when we see something new and unknown. Of course there are many people who welcome change. Emotionally and physically, this is easier for the younger generation, who are ready to take risks where the old people will take a guaranteed safe path. Why not take a risk, especially when there is nothing to lose?
Conservatism leads to a disproportionate distribution of knowledge. We are now in a similar situation, where artificial intelligence, which is advancing at an alarmingly fast pace, is already being used by many in practice, partially or completely replacing traditional tools. And it turns out that someone has already automated almost 90% of their routine, while others continue to perform tasks the old fashioned way, as they say, by hand.
As an example, professional copywriters and illustrators still write and draw to order, while engines like Midjourney, which have stolen the achievements of the vast majority of artists, generate anything in a matter of seconds and do it for pennies.
In such a situation, professionalism, strategic thinking and experience come to the fore more than ever. An art director working in team with several illustrators is not much different from any other project manager, even if instead of an illustrator he has an image generator at hand. It requires observation, a vision for the future project and experience in real projects.
Here, all the magical tools that appear thanks to artificial intelligence are your current and future friends and colleagues. Everything that you previously didn’t have enough budget for now costs much less. A huge number of powerful tools are concentrated in the hands of the individual, which will allow you to carry out large-scale projects and not waste time on small details and unnecessary communication.
All this will lead to the emergence of very small companies with billion-dollar capitalizations. Teams of 10 or even one person. One person will be able to create full-length films, covering all stages of the production process. This sounds scary and intriguing at the same time.
Illustrators and artists turned out to be easy targets for AI in the path of this simplification. Which leads to the next thought - is there a place for a hard-working illustrator in this world? Unfortunately, in the traditional form only as a free artist, which is similar to the situation with horses, they were replaced by cars, but they did not disappear. There will be much fewer classical artists who just paint, but they will be very interesting and they will have connoisseurs. Most will adapt and expand their skills.
No matter how frightening everything described above may sound, you should not panic and run around looking for the “correct” answer to the question “what to do?” It is enough to develop in your own separate area of activity. In other words, cut your nose into the wind. Study new technologies and put them into practice. Constantly learn. Get used to the idea itself. that constant change is the new stability. If you approach it from this point of view, then the planning horizon, goals and objectives change. You can and should independently and consciously choose directions for self-study and look ahead to where and how you will apply the acquired knowledge.
This my first mail for a long time. Life has up and downs, things a little bit settled down, so I will continue with email letters. I'm working on landing page for my CRM, which now has name Liid.app If you followed me on social media accounts you probably already know it. There is also a free to participate Masterclass uploaded on Vector isometric illustration. Check it in Free resources section of my Kit8.school site.
See you in the next letter,
Dmitry.
