Midjourney has announced a new /describe command that allows users to leverage the powerful artificial intelligence (AI) platform to transform images into words, upending Midjourneys typical procedure of converting text to images.

Paul DelSignore describes the feature on Medium, writing that describe has numerous significant benefits for a wide range of use cases.

Today we're releasing a /describe command that lets you transform images-into-words. Give it a shot! We think this tool will transform your liguistic-visual process both in terms of creative power and discovery.

Midjourney (@midjourney) April 4, 2023

One of the best aspects of the describe feature is that it should improve accessibility. For people with visual impairments, navigating the web can be challenging. Its made more accessible by Alt text elements that describe images. Creating these Alt elements manually is time-consuming, and Midjourneys describe functionality may overcome this hurdle.

Improved search functionality is beneficial to nearly every internet user. Search engines can index images more effectively when they include better and more plentiful descriptions.

DelSignore also highlights the importance of captions, as detailed captions help explain images and provide more clarity to viewers.

Image-to-text generation creates an interesting feedback loop with Midjourneys text-to-image system. While Midjourney users can already generate similar images based on a selection, image-to-text tools may make it easier to develop alternate and potentially more fruitful descriptions for the text-to-image generator.

Gonna remix one of my images I created with Element 3D on AE

Using the /describe function to see what it says on #midjourney v5 is really interesting for prompt generation so will now see what they make. pic.twitter.com/BvkL3pu3SI

GooRee (@GooRee) April 3, 2023

In its current iteration, like with its text-to-image generator, Midjourney will create four different text descriptions of an uploaded image. Its also possible to generate new variations based on a selected description. To upload a photo, users write /describe into the text field, and a drag-and-drop upload field appears.

Users can then select one of the generated descriptions and remix the uploaded image using the new text prompt. The user can also edit the text prompt, adding a new element of control to the creative process.

PetaPixel tested the feature, first using a portrait captured by editor-in-chief Jaron Schneider.

Midjourneys four generated descriptions are of varying quality.

The first two descriptions are pretty good, especially the second one. Its interesting that Midjourney described a specific Voigtlander 15mm prime lens, though, for the record, the image was shot with a Tamron 35mm f/1.8 prime. Using the second description to generate a remix leads to pretty impressive results.

Using another image by Schneider, this time a landscape image from Mono Lake in California, Midjourney again generates mostly useful text descriptions, albeit with the wrong location information about Mono Lake.

Using the third description as a remix prompt, Midjourney delivered four very realistic new images.

Midjourneys /describe tool is intriguing, even in its early state. The tool should help creators make more detailed Alt text, captions, and even different AI-generated artwork. While some parts of the descriptions are puzzling, to say the least, they show promise.

Image credits: Jaron Schneider and Midjourney

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Midjourney Flips the Formula with New Image-to-Text Generator - PetaPixel

With the creation of AI image creators, anyone can have their ideas turned into art within seconds. It almost feels like magic. However, some of these AI programs are far easier to use than others; partially due to how the programs work and partially due to whether or not free versions are available for people to experiment with.

Midjourney and Bing Image Creator are some of the best AI image generators out there right now. They both have their pros and cons, but one is clearly easier to get started with right from the get-go. Meanwhile, the other gives you more creative control.

WINNER: Without a doubt, Bing Image Creator is far more approachable than Midjourney. It doesn't require using any apps and the art-generating interface is far more beginner-friendly.

Bing Image Creator is accessed from a web browser, so you don't need to download anything. Simply log in to a Microsoft account, type your text prompt into the command box, and click Generate to get four images based on your description.

The software even remembers previous art prompts that you gave it and displays these images in a box titled Recent on the right side of the page for you to revisit.

Midjourney, meanwhile, is hosted on a Discord server, so those who aren't as familiar with this social communication platform might find it confusing. You must have a Discord account and a Midjourney subscription to generate art on this platform.

What's more, Midjourney's Discord has a less beginner-friendly interface. You must enter the slash command "/imagine" (without quotes) into a command box within either a public channel chatroom or within a private DM before the ability to enter a text prompt is even available. However, after a prompt is submitted, users typically only have to wait a few seconds to a few minutes before getting four images based on their prompt. This process might be very confusing for some, but it is easy enough to get the hang of once you know what to do.

WINNER: Since Bing Image Creator doesn't offer any editing or variation options whatsoever, the default winner is Midjourney. While it doesn't necessarily have editing options, Midjourney does give users the ability to influence and alter generated images more than Bing Image Creator does.

It's also worth noting that Midjourney tends to do better with generating accurate anatomy than Bing Image Creator does. In that way, it requires less editing and variations to get what you're wanting.

Midjourney: There aren't any inpainting or outpainting options for adding, editing, or expanding details on a Midjourney AI image. However, Midjourney does make it easier than Bing Image Creator to request specific details or to get variants on an original prompt in the hopes of getting an image that's more in line with what is envisioned.

For instance, I asked Midjourney for "a portrait of a woman eating berries in a gothic art style while surrounded by bats and roses." The program had a really hard time making berries and instead made it look like the girl was eating roses or bats. Eww.

To try and get a less Ozzy Osbourne-esque image, I clicked Midjourney's V buttons (variation) that appear under the images to generate variations of the original images. The V and U buttons are numbered to correspond with the four images generated. Upper left is one, upper right is two, bottom left is three, and bottom right is four. Where V stands for variation, U stands for upscale and creates a larger, more detailed version of the image indicated when clicked. Alternately, clicking the Refresh button makes Midjourney generate four brand-new images based on the original prompt.

Midjourney does give users the ability to influence and alter generated images more than Bing Image Creator does.

Midjourney users can also set the exact aspect ratio, resolution, and abstraction level of generated images by including these particular instructions in their prompts. However, Bing Image Creator cannot take these same commands and will always produce a 1:1 image.

Additionally, users can upload images and tell Midjourney to use those images as a reference. For instance, I could upload a portrait of myself and then ask Midjourney to create images of a pirate that are inspired by my facial features.This opens up a lot more opportunities than Bing Image Creator which doesn't give users the ability to upload images.

Bing Image Creator: Midjourney's customization abilities are severely limited, but at least there are some. The only thing Bing Image Creator users can do with a generated image is download it or share it. This can be frustrating when you have an image that is nearly perfect but could use some tweaks.

For instance, Bing Image Creator generated an image of a girl holding a frog, but her left eye and hands came out a little oddly shaped. It would be nice if there were tools to fix these things or at least a variation button to get slightly different pictures of the same image that might fix these issues. However, the only course of action is to generate a new image and potentially waste a boost credit in the process.

Image 1 of 3

WINNER: Since Midjourney no longer offers a free trial, the clear winner between the two, in this case, is Bing Image Creator. Microsoft's system is specifically designed around people using it for free and it's easy to get boost credits without spending money.

Bing Image Creator: This is a completely free AI image generator. All you need to use it is a free Microsoft account and then you can get started with it. But, as with many AI image generators, Bing Image Creator utilizes a credit system. Instead of determining if you can use the program at all, these "boost" credits simply guarantee that your image will be generated quickly. Once you run out of boosts it can take several minutes for Bing Image Creator to generate an image for you, but it will still do so.

Users start with 25 boosts which replenish weekly. What's more, users can earn five additional boosts each time they spend 500 Microsoft Reward Points, which are acquired for free by engaging with Microsoft's ecosystem. For instance, you might earn Microsoft Reward Points by reading Microsoft articles, using Microsoft Edge, taking Microsoft quizzes, and more. So you can use Bing Image Creator indefinitely as long as you have some patience.

Image 1 of 3

Midjourney: It used to be that Midjourney offered an impressive free trial, but that changed recently. Now, the only way to gain access to Midjourney is by paying for one of the three subscription plans.

There's the Basic Plan for $8 per month, Standard Plan for $24 per month, or Pro Plan for $48 per month. The prices are reduced a bit per month if you pay for the yearly subscription. Obviously, this costs more than the free Bing Image Creator, but it's a good price compared to some other AI image generators out there.

From a beginner's standpoint, Bing Image Creator is far easier to use. It does have some limitations as you cannot ask it to create variations on an image it previously generated. However, it is free and only requires a free Microsoft account to access it. What's more, it's accessed from a web browser and produces images quickly as long as you have boost credits, which replenish every week.

Midjourney, on the other hand, offers more control and can make alternate versions of an image it previously generated. This might help the program produce a better image variant if the original generation had any issues. However, Midjourney no longer offers a free trial and since it functions using slash commands within Discord, it might be confusing for some people.

See original here:

Which is easier to use: Bing Image Creator or Midjourney? - Windows Central

SlateStone Wealth chief market strategist Kenny Polcari discusses when the Fed could cut rates and if it's too early to invest in A.I. on 'Varney & Co.'

News agencies warned consumers Tuesday to be wary of deepfake mugshots of former President Trump flooding the internet in advance of his arrival in court. But what do we know about the platform that's being used to create these realistic simulations?

Midjourney is an AI image program which creates realistic images based on text commands given by users. The company also released a "describe" feature this week which lets users transform images into words.

The company was started in 2022 and operates out of San Francisco, California with just eleven staff members, according to their website.

CEO David Holz recently told The Verge they were stopping free trials after getting an influx of users who made throwaway accounts to access them. The lowest cost plan is now $10 a month.

AI image generator Midjourney logo.

The Midjourney V5 model is the newest and most advanced model released on March 15th, the company says.

"This model has very high Coherency, excels at interpreting natural language prompts, is higher resolution, and supports advanced features like repeating patterns," the website describes.

Many dream-like artistic images created by users are shown in the user gallery. Social media users have had fun creating everything from "historical selfies" to World Cup photos shot by famous film directors.

But capability to create simulated images of real people on the platform has caused some controversy and concerns about the technology being used for nefarious purposes.

Mediaite shared one AI-generated image of Trump's mugshot that shows the former president staring offscreen in front of a grainy background. (Mediate / @TheInfiniteDude (Twitter)) (Mediate / @TheInfiniteDude (Twitter))

AI IMAGE GENERATOR MIDJOURNEY BANS DEEPFAKES OF CHINA'S XI JINPING TO MINIMIZE DRAMA

Deepfake technology, which projects a person's face and voice onto another image or video, has attracted numerous headlines in recent months.

While many deepfakes are clearly parodies created for laughs on social media, others aren't as obvious.

Photos of Pope Francis wearing a white puffer from the embattled fashion brand Balenciaga fooled millions of viewers last week. The image was created through the Midjourney app, according to Twitter warnings.

Fake images of former President Trump resisting arrest also went viral on social media last month.

TIKTOK BANS DEEPFAKES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN UPDATED GUIDELINES

Midjourney requires users to keep the platform "PG-13" friendly. Guidelines ban adult content and gore, and "visually shocking or disturbing content." Images or text prompts that are" inherently disrespectful, aggressive, or abusive" are also not tolerated.

However, the company has faced scrutiny over its policy to disallow simulated images of Chinese President Xi Jinping. while allowing users to create fake images of other world leaders.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Fox News' Kendall Tietz and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.

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What is AI image generator Midjourney? The deepfake technology delighting and tricking the internet - Fox Business

screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Looking for a logo for your business, artwork for a project, or an image for a report? One way to get a helping hand is to turn to an online AI tool. You can choose from an array of sites. But one service that offers truly impressive results is Midjourney. With this AI image creator, you describe the type of image you want to by entering text. In return, the site delivers four high-quality renderings.

Initially, Midjourney offered a free trial through which you could test the service by requesting a limited number of images. Unfortunately, the site ended the free trial for now, with the CEO blaming the move on a surge of new users. That leaves you with no option but to sign up for one of the paid subscription plans.

Also: How to use Bing Image Creator (and why it's better than DALL-E 2)

A basic plan will run you $10 a month or $96 a year, a standard plan is $30 a month or $288 a year, and a pro plan is $60 a month or $576 a year. Each tier ups the speed of the responses and offers other benefits. To get a taste of Midjourney, you may want to start with the basic plan to see how it well it works for you.

Getting started with Midjourney can be confusing as you have to jump through a couple of hoops. To kick things off, go to the Midjourney website and click the link at the bottom for Join the beta.

You're then taken to the website for Discord, which provides the server on which the responses are generated. If necessary, click the button for Continue to Discord. At the sign in window, click the Register link. Enter your email address, type a username and password, and select your date of birth. Click Continue.

You can then log in with your account. Close any initial windows or messages that pop up. Instead, click the button on the left side bar for Explore public servers. Among the featured communities, look for Midjourney or type Midjourney in the search field to find it. Select Midjourney to access it. Then click the button at the top for Join Midjourney.

Access the Midjourney community

After you've joined, the left sidebar will display newbie groups under Newcomer rooms. Click one of the rooms to access it. Scroll up and down the page to see the images that the Midjourney AI bot has created for other users.

View the messages in a newbie group.

With the free trial no longer available, you'll have to subscribe to a paid plan before you can try out the Midjourney service. In the Message field at the bottom of the screen, type /subscribe and press Enter. Click the button forOpen subscription page.

Click the button to go to the subscription page.

At the subscription page, choose either yearly billing or monthly billing. Click the Subscribe button for the plan you want and then fill out the payment form. After the payment goes through, return to the Discord page and the newbie group you had accessed.

Choose the subcription plan you want.

You can now finally describe the image you want created. In the Message field at the bottom, type "/imagine" or just type "/" and then choose imagine from the menu. A prompt field then appears.

In that field, type the description of the image you need generated. Press enter. Wait at least a few seconds for the images to be fully rendered. By default, Midjourney creates four images for each request, with each one appearing in a small thumbnail.

Describe the image you want, and the AI renders four different ones.

Under the images are buttons -- U1, U2, U3, and U4 along with V1, V2, V3, and V4. The U buttons are for upscaling the image. The numbers correspond to the four different images by row. The first image is 1, the image to its right is 2, the first image on the next row is 3, and the image to its right is 4. Click the U button for the image you wish to upscale to see the effect. Scroll down the screen to see the upscaled image.

Ask the AI to upscale one of the images.

The V buttons are used to make changes to a specific image. Maybe there's a particular image you like among the four but want to see how it can be enhanced or improved. Click the V button for that image. Scroll down the screen until you see another series of four images, each one displaying a slightly different version of the image you selected.

Ask the AI to revise one of the images.

You can also play with an image that's been upscaled. Under the image, click the Make variations button to generate revisions to the image. Click the Light Upscale Redo to upscale the image slightly using the current version of Midjourney. Click the Beta Upscale Redo to upscale the image even higher using the latest beta version. Click the Web button to display the image at a larger size in a separate window.

Use different commands to further revise the image.

With the larger image, click the magnifying glass cursor to zoom in on the image. Right-click on the image, and you can use your browser's controls to save it, copy it, or email it.

View the image in a separate window where you can save it.

There are a variety of commands you can run at the bottom field to view and manage your interactions. Click in the field and type "/". Scroll down the list to see all the available commands.

View the different commands.

Finally, should you decide not to continue with Midjourney, you can cancel your subscription. Sign into your Midjourney account page. Click the Manage link next to Plan details for your plan and then select Cancel Plan. Confirm the cancellation.

Cancel your subscription.

See original here:

How to use Midjourney to generate amazing images and art - ZDNet

Want to see how ChatGPT wrote this story? Click here.

It only took artificial intelligence seconds to replace Zan Comerford.

Comerford, the founder of Litework Marketing in Nelson, had been writing news releases throughout the day when her husband insisted on showing what ChatGPT could do. He demonstrated by asking it to write a release similar to what she had been working on.

It generated a document that was a reasonable facsimile of her work, and did in less than a minute what shed just spent hours on.

I was sunk. I was like, there goes my job, there goes the future of humanity.

Since the public version of ChatGPT launched in November, it has proven to be a generational moment in the history of the technology. Its as important as the introduction of the iPhone, or the emergence of social media.

AI is omnipresent in todays world. Its working behind the scenes every day on phones, Google searches even Netflix.

But ChatGPT is different: Its a natural language generator that pulls information from the internet to form what is the most statistically likely response to user questions or commands, known as prompts. And it does so in a human voice that can be conversational and even a little disarming.

Its responses are seemingly limited only by ones imagination. Ask it to write a short story about aliens who want ice cream and it will start typing in front of your eyes. Ask it to provide a vegetarian recipe for dinner, or a weekly exercise plan, or for the meaning of life and its there in moments.

The emergence of whats known as Generative AI has come as a surprise to people in Nelsons tech community.

Shortly after ChatGPTs release, Brad Pommen of Nelsons SMRT1 Technologies was driving with some of his employees to meetings in Vancouver. The company, which specializes in touchscreen-based vending machines, had previously tested chatbots and decided they werent very good.

But on the trip, designer Greg Coppen began playing with ChatGPT and the group soon realized its potential.

Were all just spitballing and entering this text and getting instant results, says Pommen. It doesnt replace anybody at this point, but its not far off from needing less resources and doing more with less that really caught my attention.

Its also far from a finished product. The latest version GPT-4, which was released by the American company OpenAI in mid-March, may be able to pass a bar exam, but it still makes factual errors (ask it to write your online bio and youll probably be surprised by the response). Even though it can write in Shakespearean English, its writing probably wouldnt have impressed The Bard.

Thats provided some peace for Comerford.

She began experimenting with ChatGPT and found it worked best as an idea generator. It couldnt provide inspired marketing campaigns for Comerfords clients in the tourism and cannabis industries, but it could be used to finesse her own thoughts and help Comerford overcome occasional writers block.

It was a tool, she realized, and not one that would soon take her job.

If a machine gives you the bones, then you can build from there. I havent experienced anything with AI or ChatGPT yet that I would publish without tweaking, so that makes me feel a little bit more relieved.

Pommen has come to the same conclusion.

SMRT1 has begun using ChatGPT to write grant proposals, summarize points and even build pro and con lists. What will it be able to do in a month or a year? Pommen is intrigued to find out.

Im always looking for the positive side of things. I am never focused on the negative. And I see this as just another opportunity of creativity exemplified.

Practitioners, enthusiasts, advocates and skeptics gathered for presentations on artificial intelligence at the Nelson Innovation Centre on March 29. How to use AI tools, and why they might raise ethical and practical concerns, were among the topics. Photo: Tyler Harper

The classroom is real. The teacher isnt

Keeping students engaged can be a chore for Hazel Mousley.

Mousley is an online French tutor with students ranging in age from four to 80. The younger they are, the harder it can be for Mousley to connect with them.

But they seemingly respond to AI.

One of Mousleys students is a 10-year-old girl who loves figure skating and is, unsurprisingly, not as invested in her French homework. Mousleys solution was to ask ChatGPT to write a short play in French about a girl and her stuffed elephant at a skating competition. It was a hit with the student.

The play is very short, and Im just astounded at how simple the vocabulary is and how hilarious it is.

Every tutor Mousley knows is using ChatGPT. Not only can it interpret a students poor grammar and spelling prompts, it also responds with empathy. Her students treat it like a friend and Mousley sometimes feels like she is only a witness to the lesson.

The loss of direct influence can be worth it. Mousley says the right prompts provide exercises geared at any level of language.

If I have a student learning a very specific grammar piece, it might be hard to find exercises. It would take me a long time to create an exercise on that. I can just say [to ChatGPT], Write whatever using this grammar concept as much as possible. And then, holy crow, it creates some very compelling pieces doing that.

But if ChatGPT can ask questions, it can also give students passable answers that have prompted plagiarism concerns among educators.

To illustrate this, Dr. Theresa Southam, Selkirk Colleges co-ordinator of the Teaching and Learning Centre, suggests a prompt: Ask ChatGPT to write 1,000 words on the British North America Act of 1867, which led to the creation of Canada. The AI responds with a serviceable essay in seconds.

This, Southam says, should challenge instructors to ask students more nuanced questions. When one Selkirk teacher found ChatGPT nearly passed their online course, Southam says, it encouraged them to review their material.

As soon as you get into creative and critical thinking, thats where ChatGPT has trouble and thats where we want to take our work, says Southam. We want to have creative and critical thinkers.

Southam has spotted other errors. The chatbot sometimes pulls information from sources like blogs that dont hold up to critical analysis. Its answers are pancultural and struggle with regional context. ChatGPT also doesnt have access to oral histories, and omits cultures with poor access to the internet.

ChatGPT may have answers for everything, but it cant tell you much more about your community than Wikipedia can.

Im realizing that its only one part of human collective intelligence thats being represented in the results that are getting spit out.

The master and apprentice

Abby Wilson points to four images of Kootenay Lake on her screen and begins picking them apart. One has missing reflections. Another has incomplete sun beams. None of them catch the eye.

Each is a variation on a poor picture she took from her phone of a ferry crossing the lake, then uploaded to the AI image creator Midjourney. Wilson, a Nelson-based landscape painter, can see errors in each image. But she can also see how they might be improved.

In her studio, Wilson paints her own image based on elements suggested by Midjourney. The sun breaking through clouds is now more dramatic, and the ferry is more visible. Using AI is giving her a different perspective on her own art.

I think first draft is a good way to think about it. Just making a visual variation like taking an old painting and asking how could I have made this better? Just different takes on an idea.

Midjourney, one of several AI image creators available for free or trial use, operates similar to ChatGPT. It scraps the internet for image data, then responds to text prompts by creating original art in any style you want.

But it comes with its own controversies. Midjourney uses image data without consent. So if youve put any type of visual art online, Midjourney could be using it without your knowledge.

Wilson acknowledges this and points out other shortcomings shes noticed. Its not particularly good at drawing real places (a request for images of Nelson returns with a city that captures its vibe but wouldnt fool any residents).

It also has a racial bias white people make up the majority of its image subjects.

Its trained on the images that we have out there, and the images we have are out there are based on our biases. So it reflects that back.

But Wilson is still excited by Midjourneys possibilities. Shes OK with the ethics of it so long as it is only using reference images she provides, and the only work she sells are her own paintings.

She also doesnt worry that AI art will replace her. All art is iterative Wilsons own style is influenced by the Group of Seven and her patrons know there is only one Abby Wilson.

I dont feel super threatened because the nature of the art market is that originals do have more value.

Nelson artist Abby Wilson in her studio with two pictures she created using AI tools. The painting on the easel was created after she uploaded a photo to Midjourney, then combined elements of the AIs suggested variations to paint the final version. Wilson also used ChatGPT to write a haiku for her young daughter about being nice to the familys cat, then used the haiku as a prompt to make the image with Midjourney, which she can be seen holding here. Photo: Tyler Harper

That certain something

AI has prompted an important question: should we use AI in these ways?

Some of the most influential voices in tech say no. Last month, an open letter signed by over 2,000 people including influential Canadian expert Yoshua Bengio called for a six-month pause on AI development until safety protocols are added.

Avi Phillips is of two minds about it. The owner of Transform Your Org, a Nelson-based digital services company, has been using ChatGPT to create content for social media posts and websites as well as develop an outline for an ebook. He describes his first experience with ChatGPT as magic.

The thing that I loved about the internet, initially, was anything I wanted to learn about was there available for me, and with ChatGPT Im back to that kind of child-like feeling of learning things at my speed.

Phillips also sees AI with open eyes. He worries about how it might be used to spread misinformation, which is easily done, since ChatGPT has no built-in fact checker, or for malicious activities like making deepfakes, which are images altered to recreate a persons likeness.

He also doesnt think OpenAI should have released ChatGPT to the public before it had finished development. Were all part of this guinea pig training for this AI.

Avi Phillips, owner of Transform Your Org, is seen here with his anime-style doppleganger. The image on the right was generated by Phillips using AI software.

Joe Boland, a Trail-based health coach and owner of Darn Strong Dads, uses ChatGPT to draft curriculums specific to his clients needs. Recently he asked it to write out a six-month schedule that included nutrition exercises, homework assignments and biweekly Zoom meetings.

The result impressed Boland, but hes found the AI fails when tasked with finding solutions to peoples health issues. It can fill a spreadsheet, yet cant understand people.

It reminds Boland of his time working at a call centre. He remembers answering the phone to frustrated customers who were immediately relieved to be speaking with a person and not navigating an automated system.

Thats why I dont necessarily fear that something like ChatGPT or AI could replace what we do, because there is a certain je ne sais quoi about needing to talk to somebody, especially with something as vulnerable as our health or our wellness or whatever else.

We need that human connection that I dont think AI can necessarily offer.

But its also not going away. As people race to figure out how AI can help or hinder them, Phillips says they also need to consider the deeper question of what this means for humanity.

One thing is for sure, we have to have this conversation. We cant pretend its not there. Its the new paradigm.

READ MORE:

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@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com

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This story about AI was written by a human: How Nelson tech experts are using new artificial intelligence tools - Nelson ... - Nelson Star

Earlier this week, the online clothing retailer Revolve put up three billboards along Interstate 10 leading to Palm Springs, in celebration of its 20th anniversary and its upcoming Revolve Festival.

What made these particular billboards different from other out-of-home creative is that they were developed using generative AI tools. The art was made by a new two-person agency called Maison Meta, who worked with Revolve's VP of creative Sara Saric. As part of the campaign, people can also buy the AI-generated clothing featured on the art.

Thanks to the generative AI explosion, anyone can create a piece of art just by typing in a prompt. But many advertisers are still working out how to build these tools into their workflow.

Using generative AI to create high-quality images for ads, especially scaled to billboard size, is a huge challenge because it's difficult to control the final result. The current iteration of these tools, for instance, is notorious for having trouble generating images of hands.

Maison Meta's team, which includes partner Nima Abbasi and founder and creative director Cyril Foiret, has developed a workflow using a series of generative AI tools including Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and others. Foiret used this process to maintain tight control and create production-quality images that were used for three billboards and six street posters for Revolve's 20th anniversary campaign "Best Trip."

"Midjourney gives more of the 'wow' effect as far as the output, but Stable Diffusion has a lot more control over the position of the model, the lighting as well as the final composition," Foiret told Insider.

Foiret used multiple models built on top of Stable Diffusion to hone the art for the out-of-home creative. For instance, he used an extension called ControlNet, which lets artists reposition objects within the AI-generated image, tweak facial expressions, swap out faces, and fine-tune lighting. Foiret can paint over a specific area within the image to isolate where he wants the change to happen and execute it quickly with a prompt. He could tell the technology, for example, to add a motorcycle jacket to a specific person.

Foiret also used the AI tools to scale up the images to billboard size, breaking the image into tiles and making sure each tile retained its fidelity, even when it was blown up to a massive size a process called "AI upscaling." Maison Meta also used a human staffer at a company called Twisted Loupe to re-touch the final versions of the campaigns before they went to print.

There are time and cost savings when using generative AI tools, Foiret said. It took about three weeks to generate the art for the billboards, whereas scheduling a photoshoot can take months.

"You can have a campaign that goes over a million dollars, depending on which photographer you use, or which model you have for your campaign," Foiret said.

Revolve co-founder and co-CEO Michael Mente declined to give Revolve's budget for the billboards, but said it was on par with what the company had spent in the past for splashy ad campaigns.

"There are possibilities for cost savings, but we really want to put the energy and the investment to make sure it's just the best quality output," Mente said. However, he envisions re-allocating budget within an ad campaign. For instance, he can see Revolve shifting funds away from the photoshoot to some other aspect of the campaign.

"We won't have to spend on a photoshoot potentially, tens of thousands of dollars building a set," he said.

Read more from the original source:

Revolve Just Put up 3 Billboards Created With Generative AI Tools Like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion - Business Insider

Enlarge / An AI-generated image from an #aicinema still series called "Vinyl Vengeance" by Julie Wieland, created using Midjourney.

Since last year, a group of artists have been using an AI image generator called Midjourney to create still photos of films that don't exist. They call the trend "AI cinema." We spoke to one of its practitioners, Julie Wieland, and asked her about her technique, which she calls "synthography," for synthetic photography.

Last year, image synthesis models like DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney began allowing anyone with a text description (called a "prompt") to generate a still image in many different styles. The technique has been controversial among some artists, but other artists have embraced the new tools and run with them.

While anyone with a prompt can make an AI-generated image, it soon became clear that some people possessed a special talent for finessing these new AI tools to produce better content. As with painting or photography, the human creative spark is still necessary to produce notable results consistently.

Not long after the wonder of generating solo images emerged, some artists began creating multiple AI-generated images with the same themeand they did it using a wide, film-like aspect ratio. They strung them together to tell a story and posted them on Twitter with the hashtag #aicinema. Due to technological limitations, the images didn't move (yet), but the group of pictures gave the aesthetic impression that they all came from the same film.

The fun part is that these films don't exist.

The first tweet we could find that included the #aicinema tag and the familiar four film-style images with a related theme came from Jon Finger on September 28, 2022. Wieland, a graphic designer by day who has been practicing AI cinema for several months now, acknowledges Finger's pioneering role in the art form, along with another artist. "I probably saw it first from John Meta and Jon Finger," she says.

It's worth noting that the AI cinema movement in its current still-image form may be short-lived once text2video models such as Runway's Gen-2 become more capable and widespread. But for now, we'll attempt to capture the zeitgeist from this brief moment in AI time.

To get more of an inside look at the #aicinema movement, we spoke to Wieland, who's based in Germany and has racked up a sizable following on Twitter by posting eye-catching works of art generated by Midjourney. We've previously featured her work in an article about Midjourney v5, a recent upgrade to the model that added more realism.

AI art has been a fruitful field for Wieland, who feels that Midjourney not only gives her a creative outlet but speeds up her professional workflow. This interview was conducted via Twitter direct messages, and her answers have been edited for clarity and length.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "la dolce vita" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "la dolce vita" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "la dolce vita" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "la dolce vita" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

Ars: What inspired you to create AI-generated film stills?

Wieland: It started out with dabbling in DALL-E when I finally got my access from being on the waitlist for a few weeks. To be honest, I don't like the "painted astronaut dog in space" aesthetic too much that was very popular in the summer of 2022, so I wanted to test what else is out there in the AI universe. I thought that photography and movie stills would be really hard to nail, but I found ways to get good results, and I used them pretty quickly in my day-to-day job as a graphic designer for mood boards and pitches.

With Midjourney, I reduced my time from looking for inspiration from Pinterest and stock sites from two days of work to maybe 24 hours, because I can generate the exact feeling I need, to get it across for clients to know how it will "feel." Onboarding illustrators, photographers, and videographers has never been easier ever since.

A photo of graphic designer Julie Wieland.

Julie Wieland

Ars: You often call yourself a "synthographer" and your artform "synthography." Can you explain why?

Wieland: In my current exploration of AI-based works I find "synthographer" to be the most logical term to apply to me personally. While photographers are able to capture real moments in time, synthographers are able to capture moments that never have and never will happen.

When asked, I usually refer to Stephan Angos words on synthography: "This new kind of camera replicates what your imagination does. It receives words and then synthesizes a picture from its experience seeing millions of other pictures. The output doesnt have a name yet, but Ill call it a synthograph (meaning synthetic drawing)."

Ars: What process do you use to create your AI cinema images?

Wieland: My process right now looks like this. I use Midjourney for the "original" or "raw" images, then do outpainting (and small inpainting) in DALL-E 2. Finally, I do editing and color correction in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom.

An image from an AI cinema still image series by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v5 and refined with Photoshop.

Ars: Do you often encounter any particular challenges with the tools or with prompting?

Wieland: I've never run into a challenge I couldn't solve. Being pretty fluent in photo editing, I always find a way to get the images to look like I needed or wanted them. For me, it's become a tool just like Photoshop to speed up my process and helps create my visions. I skip the image search on stock sites, and I've replaced that process with prompts. The results are usually better, more accurate, and unique.

Ars: What has the reaction been like to your art?

Wieland: Quite mixed, I would say. My Twitter grew only because of posting AI content. On Instagram and Tiktok, I haven't found "my crowd" just yet, and the content feels more like it's getting ignored or brushed over. Maybe because my following is more established on graphic design and tutorials rather than photography or AI tools.

In the first months, I had a hard time with seeing my content as "art," coming from a designer's perspective, I approach my work really calculated. But in 2023, I embraced the process of creating a bit more freely, and Im also exploring different fields in the industry other than just my day-to-day job in graphic design.

The community surrounding AI photography, AI cinema, and synthography has grown quite a bit over the past few weeks and months, and I appreciate the positive feedback on Twitter a lot. I also appreciate seeing others getting inspired by my postsand vice versa, of course.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v4 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v4 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v4 and refined with Photoshop.

An image from an AI cinema still image series called "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?" by Julie Wieland, generated with Midjourney v4 and refined with Photoshop.

Ars: What would you say to someone who might say you are not the artist behind your works because Midjourney creates them for you?

Wieland: The people that say Midjourney is just "writing 3 words and pushing a button" are the same ones that stand in front of a Rothko painting or Duchamp Readymades and go, "Well, I could've done this too." It's about the story you're telling, not the tool you're using.

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Artists astound with AI-generated film stills from a parallel universe - Ars Technica

Canadian designer Yongwook Seong has reimagined the dwellings and traditions of the Inuit communities through the role of AI tools, like Midjourney, a text-to-image software.

The series, called Nuna, are a set of examples of fictional architecture showcasing various tech-driven versions of settlements of the Inuit communities in the Arctic and subarctic created with help of Midjourney.

Aiviq House: Aiviq (walrus) turns himself/herself into a house

The dwellings, taking references from the Inuit communities' cultures and mythology, present 10 types of settlements that are shaped by locally-available materials.

Seong has used snow, ice, whale bones, Arctic and subarctic animal furs, sacred stones and earth to reflect the inhabitants' culture and traditions.

The Inuit and Yupiks are hunter-gatherers who form the largest group of Inuit-Aleut peoples, who live in Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Alaska, and who speak Inuit-Aleut languages, scattered across four countries in the Arctic region.

Arviq Pavilion: Arviq (bowhead) whale has long been an invaluable being for Inuit

For example, in the visual above, the designer has turned Arviq (bowhead) whale into a pavilion presenting smooth edges to shelter.

"As one of the most favourite beings by the creator in Inuit mythology, it provided Inuit with valuable resources for survival. The pavilion celebrates the return of Arviq and abundance of marine life," Yongwook Seong told World Architecture Community.

"Over a millennium, the Inuit have inhabited in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic areas, which include the currently northern regions of Canada," said Yongwook Seong, a Banff-based designer.

"The Inuit celebrates enriched histories that have long survived in the harsh environment. Today, Inuit cultures and traditions have remained resilient with active political activism and cultural renewal movements."

Ceremonial House

The above visual is Ceremonial House, clad in colorful 3D stones. The decorative elements of the door are also obtained by using the stone remains horizontally.

"Music and dance elevate Inuit and their spirit, and they are a medium to transcend their physical world and communicate with sacred realms and beings," according to the designer.

In the series, Seong attempts to imagine Arctic and Sub-Arctic architecture that are inspired by the Inuit traditions. The designer stated that "The Inuit have treated the land as a sacred being."

"It is the place where every animate and inanimate being is created from. Every entity is bonded with the land," he added.

"Likewise, a human being is deeply attached to the land and is therefore told to treat it as part of himself/herself."

While creating those realistic images, the designer has used only Midjourney, while Photoshop was also used to refine the images.

AI text-to-image softwares such as Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion push the boundaries in producing realistic architecture as AI technology tools.

Ijiraq

In the Inuit religion an Ijiraq is "a shapeshifting creature that is said to kidnap children, hide them away and abandon them."

The designer turns Ijiraq turns into a giant caribou to lure and hunt another caribou. Ijiraq is a mythical being that can transform into any form. It would be quite difficult to discern it as they can be disguised as animals or humans.

Issitoq Observatory

The word of Issitoq represents a flying eye and a deity that punishes those who break taboos. The designer has imagined the flying eye an observatory landing on the ground in search of taboo breakers.

"An alternative contemporary reflecting the Inuits living traditions and mythology"

The designer explains his particular focus on Inut communities with these words: "Forced resettlements, cultural assimilation and religious conversion left a multi-generational vacuum within their communities for the past centuries."

"The aftermath has lingered for the prolonged period, and subsequently disrupted the self-sufficient way of nomadic life," Seong told World Architecture Community.

"Today, there have existed ongoing efforts to renew Inuit cultures and traditions."

"As part of paying a tribute to the communities and their efforts, I wanted to re-imagine an alternative contemporary reflecting the Inuits living traditions and mythology," he emphasized.

Mosaic Igloo

Clad in colorful mosaic tiles, the tube-shaped dwelling, called Mosaic Igloo, is an architectural aspiration for Cultural Mosaic.

The 10 types of arctic dwellings are Nunangat Vault, Amauti House, Nanuq Den, Ijiraq, Issitoq Observatory, Arviq Pavilion, Aiviq House, Stargazing Tepee, Ceremonial House and Mosaic Igloo.

Each home, covering approximately 5 to 8 square meters, has its own identity and a sculptural look, while the minimal footprint draws attention in the visuals.

Nanuq Den

The sculptural Nanuq Den has an undulating door and provides a minimalst shelter. Nanuq or Polar Bear is a highly regarded spirit among Inuit.

As Nanuq enters into a house (den), he or she removes fur skin and transforms himself/herself into a human being inside the house.

Nunangat Vault

Nunangat Vault takes the shape of ear canal with a layered entrance. The designer has reimagined the snow as a layered vault that leads to an archive of Arctic and subarctic storytelling and traditions. The entrance invites visitors to rich oral histories of Inuit cultures and traditions.

"According to Uqalurait (An Oral History of Nunavut), any objects contains a soul (inua). And these souls travel across different beings. Inuits are told to be respectful when they hunt animals as they share the same inua," Seong continued.

"It is believed that animals sacrifice themselves to one that they find worthwhile. And Inuit are not advised to show off their catch. When they mistreat a particular animal, the offended animal would make themselves impossible to be hunted by humans," he added.

Stargazing Tepee

A tepee, or tipi, in Inuit communities is made of animal hides or bark. In this visual, the designer has proposed this snow hut, named Stargazing Tepee, to provide a warm and intimate space for stargazing.

Top image of this article is Amauti House. Amauti (or known parka) is worn by Inuit women of the eastern area of Northern Canada. The designer has turned into Amauti into a house on her burial site.

Based in Banff, Yongwook Seong is a designer, holding a Master of Architecture degree from University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Seong's interest lies in various fields including architecture, furniture design, lighting design, visual arts.

All visuals by Yongwook Seong.

> via Yongwook Seong

dwellingInuitMidjourneyYongwook Seong

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Yongwook Seong reimagines Inuit community's dwellings and ... - World Architecture Community

Microsoft has introduced a new tool that allows users to create unique images using artificial intelligence technology. The tool, called Image Creator, uses a combination of OpenAIs DALL-E technology and Edge Edge to allow users to create custom images without the need for technical knowledge.

DALL-E technology was developed by OpenAI and uses a neural network to generate images from text descriptions. For example, if a pink elephant is given the description of foot disease, DALL-E will generate an image of a pink elephant playing football.

Meanwhile, the sidebar allows users to access the Image Creator tool directly from the browser, meaning no additional software needs to be indexed or installed.

The combination of these two technologies allows users to create custom images without the need for technical knowledge. All it takes is typing a description of the image you want to create on the sidebar of Edge, and then clicking the build button.

Image Creator will take care of generating the image based on the description provided. This tool can be extremely useful for graphic designers and content editors who need to create images quickly and efficiently.

It can also be a fun tool for those who just want to experiment with AI technology. However, there are also some concerns about AI technologies and imaging.

Some experts have pointed out that DALL-Es ability to generate real images from descriptive texts can be used to create false or misleading images. For example, someone might use an image creator tool to create an image that looks real, but actually isnt.

To address these concerns, Microsoft noted that the Image Creator tool is used only for legitimate purposes and that the company is on the way to detect and prevent abuse of AI technology.

Overall, Microsofts Image Creator tool appears to be an interesting application of AI technology that could have a wide range of uses. However, it is important that it is used responsibly and that there is adequate guidance on creating false or misleading images.

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Microsoft Stands At Midjourney: You Can Now Experience Its Image ... - World Nation News

Microsoft has introduced a new tool that allows users to create unique images using artificial intelligence technology. The tool, called Image Creator, uses a combination of OpenAIs DALL-E technology and the sidebar of edge to allow users to create custom images without the need for technical knowledge.

The technology DALL-E It was developed by OpenAI and uses a neural network to generate images from text descriptions. For example, if given a description of a pink elephant playing soccer, DALL-E will generate an image of the pink elephant playing soccer.

Edges sidebar, meanwhile, allows users to access the Image Creator tool directly from the browser, meaning no additional software needs to be downloaded or installed.

The combination of these two technologies allows users to create custom images without the need for technical knowledge. All it takes is typing a description of the image you want to create in Edges sidebar, and then hitting the build button.

Image Creator will take care of generating an image based on the description that has been provided. This tool can be very useful for graphic designers and content editors who need to create images quickly and efficiently.

It can also be a fun tool for those who just want to experiment with AI technology. However, there are also some concerns around AI technology and imaging.

Some experts have pointed out that DALL-Es ability to generate realistic images from text descriptions could be used to create false or misleading images. For example, someone might use the Image Creator tool to create an image that looks real, but actually isnt.

To address these concerns, Microsoft has noted that the Image Creator tool is designed to be used for legitimate purposes only and that the company is working on ways to detect and prevent misuse of AI technology.

In general, Microsofts Image Creator tool appears to be a interesting application of artificial intelligence technology that could have a wide range of uses. However, it is important that it is used responsibly and that concerns around creating false or misleading images are adequately addressed.

Read more from the original source:

Microsoft stands up to Midjourney: now you can try its image ... - Gearrice

Want to see how ChatGPT wrote this story? Click here.

It only took artificial intelligence seconds to replace Zan Comerford.

Comerford, the founder of Litework Marketing in Nelson, had been writing news releases throughout the day when her husband insisted on showing what ChatGPT could do. He demonstrated by asking it to write a release similar to what she had been working on.

It generated a document that was a reasonable facsimile of her work, and did in less than a minute what shed just spent hours on.

I was sunk. I was like, there goes my job, there goes the future of humanity.

Since the public version of ChatGPT launched in November, it has proven to be a generational moment in the history of the technology. Its as important as the introduction of the iPhone, or the emergence of social media.

AI is omnipresent in todays world. Its working behind the scenes every day on phones, Google searches even Netflix.

But ChatGPT is different: Its a natural language generator that pulls information from the internet to form what is the most statistically likely response to user questions or commands, known as prompts. And it does so in a human voice that can be conversational and even a little disarming.

Its responses are seemingly limited only by ones imagination. Ask it to write a short story about aliens who want ice cream and it will start typing in front of your eyes. Ask it to provide a vegetarian recipe for dinner, or a weekly exercise plan, or for the meaning of life and its there in moments.

The emergence of whats known as Generative AI has come as a surprise to people in Nelsons tech community.

Shortly after ChatGPTs release, Brad Pommen of Nelsons SMRT1 Technologies was driving with some of his employees to meetings in Vancouver. The company, which specializes in touchscreen-based vending machines, had previously tested chatbots and decided they werent very good.

But on the trip, designer Greg Coppen began playing with ChatGPT and the group soon realized its potential.

Were all just spitballing and entering this text and getting instant results, says Pommen. It doesnt replace anybody at this point, but its not far off from needing less resources and doing more with less that really caught my attention.

Its also far from a finished product. The latest version GPT-4, which was released by the American company OpenAI in mid-March, may be able to pass a bar exam, but it still makes factual errors (ask it to write your online bio and youll probably be surprised by the response). Even though it can write in Shakespearean English, its writing probably wouldnt have impressed The Bard.

Thats provided some peace for Comerford.

She began experimenting with ChatGPT and found it worked best as an idea generator. It couldnt provide inspired marketing campaigns for Comerfords clients in the tourism and cannabis industries, but it could be used to finesse her own thoughts and help Comerford overcome occasional writers block.

It was a tool, she realized, and not one that would soon take her job.

If a machine gives you the bones, then you can build from there. I havent experienced anything with AI or ChatGPT yet that I would publish without tweaking, so that makes me feel a little bit more relieved.

Pommen has come to the same conclusion.

SMRT1 has begun using ChatGPT to write grant proposals, summarize points and even build pro and con lists. What will it be able to do in a month or a year? Pommen is intrigued to find out.

Im always looking for the positive side of things. I am never focused on the negative. And I see this as just another opportunity of creativity exemplified.

Practitioners, enthusiasts, advocates and skeptics gathered for presentations on artificial intelligence at the Nelson Innovation Centre on March 29. How to use AI tools, and why they might raise ethical and practical concerns, were among the topics. Photo: Tyler Harper

The classroom is real. The teacher isnt

Keeping students engaged can be a chore for Hazel Mousley.

Mousley is an online French tutor with students ranging in age from four to 80. The younger they are, the harder it can be for Mousley to connect with them.

But they seemingly respond to AI.

One of Mousleys students is a 10-year-old girl who loves figure skating and is, unsurprisingly, not as invested in her French homework. Mousleys solution was to ask ChatGPT to write a short play in French about a girl and her stuffed elephant at a skating competition. It was a hit with the student.

The play is very short, and Im just astounded at how simple the vocabulary is and how hilarious it is.

Every tutor Mousley knows is using ChatGPT. Not only can it interpret a students poor grammar and spelling prompts, it also responds with empathy. Her students treat it like a friend and Mousley sometimes feels like she is only a witness to the lesson.

The loss of direct influence can be worth it. Mousley says the right prompts provide exercises geared at any level of language.

If I have a student learning a very specific grammar piece, it might be hard to find exercises. It would take me a long time to create an exercise on that. I can just say [to ChatGPT], Write whatever using this grammar concept as much as possible. And then, holy crow, it creates some very compelling pieces doing that.

But if ChatGPT can ask questions, it can also give students passable answers that have prompted plagiarism concerns among educators.

To illustrate this, Dr. Theresa Southam, Selkirk Colleges co-ordinator of the Teaching and Learning Centre, suggests a prompt: Ask ChatGPT to write 1,000 words on the British North America Act of 1867, which led to the creation of Canada. The AI responds with a serviceable essay in seconds.

This, Southam says, should challenge instructors to ask students more nuanced questions. When one Selkirk teacher found ChatGPT nearly passed their online course, Southam says, it encouraged them to review their material.

As soon as you get into creative and critical thinking, thats where ChatGPT has trouble and thats where we want to take our work, says Southam. We want to have creative and critical thinkers.

Southam has spotted other errors. The chatbot sometimes pulls information from sources like blogs that dont hold up to critical analysis. Its answers are pancultural and struggle with regional context. ChatGPT also doesnt have access to oral histories, and omits cultures with poor access to the internet.

ChatGPT may have answers for everything, but it cant tell you much more about your community than Wikipedia can.

Im realizing that its only one part of human collective intelligence thats being represented in the results that are getting spit out.

The master and apprentice

Abby Wilson points to four images of Kootenay Lake on her screen and begins picking them apart. One has missing reflections. Another has incomplete sun beams. None of them catch the eye.

Each is a variation on a poor picture she took from her phone of a ferry crossing the lake, then uploaded to the AI image creator Midjourney. Wilson, a Nelson-based landscape painter, can see errors in each image. But she can also see how they might be improved.

In her studio, Wilson paints her own image based on elements suggested by Midjourney. The sun breaking through clouds is now more dramatic, and the ferry is more visible. Using AI is giving her a different perspective on her own art.

I think first draft is a good way to think about it. Just making a visual variation like taking an old painting and asking how could I have made this better? Just different takes on an idea.

Midjourney, one of several AI image creators available for free or trial use, operates similar to ChatGPT. It scraps the internet for image data, then responds to text prompts by creating original art in any style you want.

But it comes with its own controversies. Midjourney uses image data without consent. So if youve put any type of visual art online, Midjourney could be using it without your knowledge.

Wilson acknowledges this and points out other shortcomings shes noticed. Its not particularly good at drawing real places (a request for images of Nelson returns with a city that captures its vibe but wouldnt fool any residents).

It also has a racial bias white people make up the majority of its image subjects.

Its trained on the images that we have out there, and the images we have are out there are based on our biases. So it reflects that back.

But Wilson is still excited by Midjourneys possibilities. Shes OK with the ethics of it so long as it is only using reference images she provides, and the only work she sells are her own paintings.

She also doesnt worry that AI art will replace her. All art is iterative Wilsons own style is influenced by the Group of Seven and her patrons know there is only one Abby Wilson.

I dont feel super threatened because the nature of the art market is that originals do have more value.

Nelson artist Abby Wilson in her studio with two pictures she created using AI tools. The painting on the easel was created after she uploaded a photo to Midjourney, then combined elements of the AIs suggested variations to paint the final version. Wilson also used ChatGPT to write a haiku for her young daughter about being nice to the familys cat, then used the haiku as a prompt to make the image with Midjourney, which she can be seen holding here. Photo: Tyler Harper

That certain something

AI has prompted an important question: should we use AI in these ways?

Some of the most influential voices in tech say no. Last month, an open letter signed by over 2,000 people including influential Canadian expert Yoshua Bengio called for a six-month pause on AI development until safety protocols are added.

Avi Phillips is of two minds about it. The owner of Transform Your Org, a Nelson-based digital services company, has been using ChatGPT to create content for social media posts and websites as well as develop an outline for an ebook. He describes his first experience with ChatGPT as magic.

The thing that I loved about the internet, initially, was anything I wanted to learn about was there available for me, and with ChatGPT Im back to that kind of child-like feeling of learning things at my speed.

Phillips also sees AI with open eyes. He worries about how it might be used to spread misinformation, which is easily done, since ChatGPT has no built-in fact checker, or for malicious activities like making deepfakes, which are images altered to recreate a persons likeness.

He also doesnt think OpenAI should have released ChatGPT to the public before it had finished development. Were all part of this guinea pig training for this AI.

Avi Phillips, owner of Transform Your Org, is seen here with his anime-style doppleganger. The image on the right was generated by Phillips using AI software.

Joe Boland, a Trail-based health coach and owner of Darn Strong Dads, uses ChatGPT to draft curriculums specific to his clients needs. Recently he asked it to write out a six-month schedule that included nutrition exercises, homework assignments and biweekly Zoom meetings.

The result impressed Boland, but hes found the AI fails when tasked with finding solutions to peoples health issues. It can fill a spreadsheet, yet cant understand people.

It reminds Boland of his time working at a call centre. He remembers answering the phone to frustrated customers who were immediately relieved to be speaking with a person and not navigating an automated system.

Thats why I dont necessarily fear that something like ChatGPT or AI could replace what we do, because there is a certain je ne sais quoi about needing to talk to somebody, especially with something as vulnerable as our health or our wellness or whatever else.

We need that human connection that I dont think AI can necessarily offer.

But its also not going away. As people race to figure out how AI can help or hinder them, Phillips says they also need to consider the deeper question of what this means for humanity.

One thing is for sure, we have to have this conversation. We cant pretend its not there. Its the new paradigm.

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@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com

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This story about AI was written by a human: How Nelson tech ... - Peace Arch News

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made it possible to imagine implausible scenarios such as a snowfall in Delhi and Kolkata and produced images of the likes of ghosts from folklore or astronauts in bridal attire. Such images have been creating waves as technology has blurred the boundaries between fiction and reality.

Now, a man has created stunning AI images to depict the Ramayana. Sachin Samuel, founder and creative director of a company called Bootpolish Talkies, shared on LinkedIn stunning images depicting the Hindu epic and wrote how it had fascinated him since childhood. He used the AI tool Midjourney to make the character sketches.

Ramayana has plenty of heart warming characters. King Dasaratha, Manthara the maidservant, Kaikeyi the youngest of King Dasarathas consorts, Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Ravana the Demon King of Lanka , Maricha, Sugreeva the Monkey King and Jambuvan, King of the Bears, Kumbharkarn, Ravanas giant brother, Indrajit, Ravanas warrior son, Jatayu, the sacred eagle. In Ramayana, even the villains, Vali, Indrajit evoke tears when they die. Thats the beauty of a great epic, where you could love and hate the villains equally. Ramayana is a visual masterpiece that takes you on a journey across the length and breadth of India. Portrait character sketches series created using Ai tool Midjourney, he wrote.

See the post here

Your sketches are captivating. Cant move on without looking again, commented a LinkedIn user. Cant wait for all of this to come to life on the big screen. More power to you, said another.

An AI artist from Assam, Chinmoy Barma, recently created stunning art depicting folklore characters such as the three-legged Kon Bhoot without a neck, ghosts and evil spirits.

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Ramayana comes to life in stunning images created with AI tool ... - The Indian Express

This story was written by the AI chatbot ChatGPT-4 using Nelson Star editor-reporter Tyler Harpers notes. To see how Harper wrote this story, click here.

Zan Comerford, founder of Litework Marketing in Nelson, had her world turned upside down when she first encountered ChatGPT, the AI language model by OpenAI. Initially fearing for her job and the future of humanity, she later found that the AI could be useful as a third party to bounce ideas off of and get original ideas, although not of the same quality as human work.

If a machine gives you the bones, then you can build from there. I havent experienced anything with AI or ChatGPT yet that I would publish without tweaking, so that makes me feel a little bit more relieved, Comerford explained. She also mentioned that while some of her marketing colleagues are competitive about incorporating AI quickly, others share her concerns.

Comerford works with 10-to-15 clients in tourism events and cannabis marketing. She has found that clients are already inquiring about outsourcing work to ChatGPT, but they quickly realize the quality isnt the same. Comerford believes that people who become experts at prompting ChatGPT will become valued in the industry. However, she also expressed concerns about plagiarism and the idea that it does feel like its this tipping point where now humans are interacting with machines in a way that theres not going to be a return from.

Meanwhile, Brad Pommen, CEO of SMRT1 Technologies, and Gregg Coppen, product designer and front-end developer, have been exploring ChatGPTs potential. They found that the AI doesnt replace anybody at this point, but its not far off from needing fewer resources and doing more with less.

There was nothing that prepared me to see how far this went and how fast, said Pommen, who believes the AI will require expertise to use effectively. He compared it to a specialized tool, like a high-quality paintbrush.

On the topic of coding, Pommen doesnt think it will replace creative coders, but Coppen believes it might democratize coding. Knowing that it needs a semicolon here and a bracket and another closing bracket there and it needs to be indented this much, I think a lot of that very technical domain is going to be sort of abstracted away, Coppen explained.

Pommen remains optimistic about the future of AI, seeing it as an opportunity for creativity and programming for non-programmers. Coppen calls ChatGPT a benchmark moment in the internet. However, he also joked about not wanting his daughter to know about ChatGPT, fearing she would never write a word again.

As AI continues to evolve and impact various industries, professionals like Comerford, Pommen, and Coppen will need to adapt and find the best ways to utilize these new tools while maintaining the value of human creativity and expertise.

SMRT1 Technologies Greg Coppen (left) and Brad Pommen are AI enthusiasts. The pair are using tools like ChatGPT to grow their award-winning tech business. Photo: Tyler Harper

The classroom is real. The teacher isnt

Online French tutor Hazel Mousley is among those who have discovered the benefits of using ChatGPT for teaching languages. Mousley believes ChatGPTs humaneness and its ability to engage students make it an effective learning tool.

Mousley, whose clients range from four-to-80 years old, notes that the AI can produce interesting material for learners at any level. Her most engaged students treat ChatGPT like a friend and her as a witness to their interactions.

One of her students, a 10-year-old girl who loves figure skating, was captivated by a short play written by ChatGPT in French. The simple vocabulary and hilarious content helped the student stay focused and retain new vocabulary more effectively. Another student improved his French writing skills by conversing with ChatGPT, despite his previous struggles with spelling.

Mousley also praises ChatGPTs ability to interpret poor grammar and spelling, as well as its understanding of slang. She reveals that almost all the online French tutors she knows now use ChatGPT. However, she remains uncertain about its use in a classroom setting and its potential for misuse by lazy students.

Dr. Theresa Southam, Selkirk College co-ordinator of the Teaching and Learning Centre, initially feared that ChatGPT would make instructors obsolete but has since changed her mind. New technology comes on board, and then we realize we really need to engage with that and there are still lots of things that we can teach students that technology cant, she said.

Southam acknowledges ChatGPTs limitations, such as its lack of common sense, empathy, and personalization. She also raises concerns about cheating and the need for more nuanced questions in assessments to challenge students to think creatively and critically.

While ChatGPT can generate content from various sources, Southam points out that it may not always draw from reputable sources or provide context-specific responses. She emphasizes that the AI represents only a part of human collective intelligence and may omit perspectives from oral histories or those without access to technology.

The master and apprentice

Abby Wilson, a business analyst by day and an artist in her free time, has been experimenting with AI-generated art using Midjourney, a platform that generates images based on user inputs. Wilson began using Midjourney in November and has since created various artworks, including an illustration for her toddler daughter about being gentle with cats, using AI-generated poems as prompts.

Wilson praises Midjourney for its ability to create colour palettes and generate multiple visual variations of her ideas. However, she acknowledges that the AI-generated images often lack detail and can exhibit errors. I think first draft is a good way to think about it, or just making a visual variation like taking an old painting and being like, how could I have made this better? Just different takes on an idea, she said.

Despite concerns that AI-generated art could threaten the livelihood of artists, Wilson is not worried. She believes that the art market still values original artwork over AI-generated versions. I dont feel super threatened because it is kind of like a first draft, and the nature of the art market is that originals do have more value, she said.

Wilson also pointed out that AI-generated images tend to resemble each other, particularly in specific subjects like mountains, and may not capture unique features of a particular place. She also expressed concern about the potential bias against minorities in AI-generated images, as the AI is trained on images available on the internet, which may be predominantly Caucasian-focused.

Midjourney has faced controversy among artists who argue that they did not give consent for their images to be used for training the AI. Wilson believes that the platform works best as a reference or for inspiring ideas. For example, she provided Midjourney with a photo of the Kootenay Lake ferry, and although the returned images were not perfect, they inspired her to create a painting combining elements from each.

Wilson is comfortable with the ethics of using Midjourney when working with her own sketches and reference images, but she is not interested in using it to copy art or reference from artists trying to make a living. I feel like if Im using my own sketches and reference images and working with it, Im OK with that. Maybe its behind the scenes referencing a bunch of stuff that I dont know about, but I still feel like Im making a lot of decisions there, she said.

That certain something

Avi Phillips, owner of Transform Your Org, a digital services company specializing in data management, analytics audits, and website accessibility, and Joe Boland, a Trail-based health coach and owner of Darn Strong Dads, have both embraced the use of ChatGPT to enhance their respective businesses.

Phillips first experience with ChatGPT was mindblowing, comparing it to Google, which only returns websites as results, whereas ChatGPT synthesizes information in a conversational manner. He uses it for creating content, developing outlines, and answering questions about coding. It feels like life has changed again, and we cant go back. Its the Pandoras box. Its open and everybody has access to this opportunity now to stylize their lives, Phillips said.

However, Phillips also expressed concerns about the potential negative uses of AI, such as hacking and spreading misinformation, and the ethical implications of releasing AI to the public before its final version. Were all part of this guinea pig training for this AI, he remarked.

Boland utilizes ChatGPT to save time, draft coaching curriculums, and find inspiration for new ideas. He appreciates the organic responses it provides compared to more rudimentary chatbots. With ChatGPT, you can punch in practically anything and then it will come back with an answer that is largely very organic reading, Boland said.

However, Boland acknowledges that ChatGPT falls short when addressing specific client needs, and he would not use it as a sole source of direction. He also believes that people will always prefer human interaction over AI, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like health and wellness. We need that human connection that I dont think AI can necessarily offer, Boland added.

Both Phillips and Boland advocate for more rigorous fact-checking and responsible AI use, as they continue to explore the potential of ChatGPT to enhance their businesses and industries.

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By Clare Duffy, CNN

Pope Francis wearing a massive, white puffer coat. Elon Musk walking hand-in-hand with rival GM CEO Mary Barra. Former President Donald Trump being detained by police in dramatic fashion.

None of these things actually happened, but AI-generated images depicting them did go viral online over the past week.

The images ranged from obviously fake to, in some cases, compellingly real, and they fooled some social media users. Model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen, for example, tweeted that she thought the popes puffer coat was real, saying, didnt give it a second thought. no way am I surviving the future of technology. The images also sparked a slew of headlines, as news organizations rushed to debunk the false images, especially those of Trump, who was ultimately indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday but has not been arrested.

The situation demonstrates a new online reality: the rise of a new crop of buzzy artificial intelligence tools has made it cheaper and easier than ever to create realistic images, as well as audio and videos. And these images are likely to pop up with increasing frequency on social media.

While these AI tools may enable new means of expressing creativity, the spread of computer-generated media also threatens to further pollute the information ecosystem. That risks adding to the challenges for users, news organizations and social media platforms to vet whats real, after years of grappling with online misinformation featuring far less sophisticated visuals. There are also concerns that AI-generated images could be used for harassment, or to further drive divided internet users apart.

I worry that it will sort of get to a point where there will be so much fake, highly realistic content online that most people will just go with their tribal instincts as a guide to what they think is real, more than actually informed opinions based on verified evidence, said Henry Ajder, a synthethic media expert who works as an advisor to companies and government agencies, including Meta Reality Labs European Advisory Council.

Images, compared to the AI-generated text that has also recently proliferated thanks to tools like ChatGPT, can be especially powerful in provoking emotions when people view them, said Claire Leibowicz, head of AI and media integrity at the Partnership on AI, a nonprofit industry group. That can make it harder for people to slow down and evaluate whether what theyre looking at is real or fake.

Whats more, coordinated bad actors could eventually attempt to create fake content in bulk or suggest that real content is computer-generated in order to confuse internet users and provoke certain behaviors.

The paranoia of an impending Trump potential arrest created a really useful case study in understanding what the potential implications are, and I think were very lucky that things did not go south, said Ben Decker, CEO of threat intelligence group Memetica. Because if more people had had that idea en masse, in a coordinated fashion, I think theres a universe where we could start to see the online to offline effects.

Computer-generated image technology has improved rapidly in recent years, from the photoshopped image of a shark swimming through a flooded highway that has been repeatedly shared during natural disasters to the websites that four years ago began churning out mostly unconvincing fake photos of non-existent people.

Many of the recent viral AI-generated images were created by a tool called Midjourney, a less than year-old platform that allows users to create images based on short text prompts. On its website, Midjourney describes itself as a small self-funded team, with just 11 full-time staff members.

A cursory glance at a Facebook page popular among Midjourney users reveals AI-generated images of a seemingly inebriated Pope Francis, elderly versions of Elvis and Kurt Cobain, Musk in a robotic Tesla bodysuit and many creepy animal creations. And thats just from the past few days.

The latest version of Midjourney is only available to a select number of paid users, Midjourney CEO David Holz told CNN in an email Friday. Midjourney this week paused access to the free trial of its earlier versions due to extraordinary demand and trial abuse, according to a Discord post from Holz, but he told CNN it was unrelated to the viral images. The creator of the Trump arrest images also claimed he was banned from the site.

The rules page on the companys Discord site asks users: Dont use our tools to make images that could inflame, upset, or cause drama. That includes gore and adult content.

Moderation is hard and well be shipping improved systems soon, Holz told CNN. Were taking lots of feedback and ideas from experts and the community and are trying to be really thoughtful.

In most cases, the creators of the recent viral images dont appear to have been acting malevolently. The Trump arrest images were created by the founder of the online investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat, who clearly labeled them as his fabrications, even if other social media users werent as discerning.

There are efforts by platforms, AI technology companies and industry groups to improve the transparency around when a piece of content is generated by a computer.

Platforms including Metas Facebook and Instagram, Twitter and YouTube have policies restricting or prohibiting the sharing of manipulated media that could mislead users. But as use of AI-generated technologies grows, even such policies could threaten to undermine user trust. If, for example, a fake image accidentally slipped through a platforms detection system, it could give people false confidence, Ajder said. Theyll say, theres a detection system that says its real, so it must be real.'

Work is also underway on technical solutions that would, for example, watermark an AI-generated image or include a transparent label in an images metadata, so anyone viewing it across the internet would know it was created by a computer. The Partnership on AI has developed a set of standard, responsible practices for synthetic media along with partners like ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, TikTok, Adobe, Bumble and the BBC, which includes recommendations such as how to disclose an image was AI-generated and how companies can share data around such images.

The idea is that these institutions are all committed to disclosure, consent and transparency, Leibowicz said.

A group of tech leaders, including Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, this week wrote an open letter calling for artificial intelligence labs to stop the training of the most powerful AI systems for at least six months, citing profound risks to society and humanity. Still, its not clear whether any labs will take such a step. And as the technology rapidly improves and becomes accessible beyond a relatively small group of corporations committed to responsible practices, lawmakers may need to get involved, Ajder said.

This new age of AI cant be held in the hands of a few massive companies getting rich off of these tools, we need to democratize this technology, he said. At the same time, there are also very real and legitimate concerns of having a radical open approach where you just open source a tool or have very minimal restrictions on its use is going to lead to a massive scaling of harm and I think legislation will probably play a role in reigning in some of the more radically open models.

The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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