trying out AI in design, yay or nay?

I've recently had a unit where I have utilised AI (ethically and transparently) within my work. Since that was my first time with using AI in my work, I sat on it for a little while and just debated it in my head, is this a good or a bad thing?

And the answer I came up with?....neither.

Now it all depends on a person-to-person use by case, in my case, I used AI to generate some human models, skipping the need for a photoshoot, yet getting what I wanted without a massive watermark all over it, and it was quite specific too.

The models in these pictures are generated by AI, specifically Adobe Firefly.

So why do I find this okay, but not using AI to create stuff such as art? I honestly could not tell you it for certain, but I generating some human figures in suits feels less worse than someone generating a "hand-drawn" portrait with AI.

One of the reasons why I think doing that is wrong is because there is currently a lot of controversy regarding AI taking real art made by real people and using it to feed the AI machine learning algorithms without their knowledge or permission, so esentially, I felt like if I used it for actual graphics and sketched art, it would feel like stealing.

Of course, with AI being fairly new, this entire area is a grey zone; no one knows how to proceed or what opinions to hold, and it will likely take some time for the dust to settle and for things to be clarified.

Another reason why I think I can justify my use of AI in this instance, this idea was built on, thought about, and sketched out BEFORE I generated anything, it was my idea, my vision, just not my execution. I used AI to help with ONE of the steps, not all of them and I think that's also an argument to be made; using AI to help fuel your existing ideas can be good and allow for opportunity and growth, but letting AI entirely think on its own can simply be dangerous and just brain numbing, our brain has one job and we are basically telling it not to do it.

Of course, this is all my personal opinion, so take what you will from it.

So to end this, AI is okay to be used sometimes, it's really a case to case basis since not much is known about it or the ehtics of it or much of anything.

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Tutor Feedback:

Your campaign concepts were good, using a visual narrative to bridge the gap between work, play, and Persil’s core message. The transition concept, from professional life to sports and activity, adds a fresh perspective to the brand while reinforcing its association with everyday life. Your use of AI- generated imagery is an interesting approach that has allowed for quick iteration, though refining these visuals to ensure brand consistency and authenticity will further elevate the final outcome. ‘It’s that Persil look’ had scope to be developed further as this stood out as a stronger strategy than your alternative campaign approaches. This is something you can perhaps look at again in the future when time allows and present as your final camping in your digital portfolio.

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