AGDA Power Hour — What We Learnt
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At UMM, integrating various AI tools into our creative process has become core to our practice. When we saw that the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) was hosting a Power Hour on Distinctiveness in the Age of AI, we jumped at the opportunity to hear some outside perspectives from industry insiders on this rapidly moving phenomenon.
Led by Creative Director Nick Hill, the AGDA Power Hour explored the potential of AI image-making in design and emphasised the importance of this technology to create innovative work. As a hot topic within our agency, we were excited to participate in this conversation with industry leaders across the country.
HERE ARE OUR KEY TAKEAWAYS:
MACHINES DO LIKE MACHINES ARE TOLD:
At UMM, we strongly believe in the transformative power of AI and how tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT have aided our creative process. Having said that, the power of feeling, which is our blessing and curse as humans, cannot be replaced. Without human distinctiveness, one would fail to incite and establish authentic connections. We’ve spoken to this exact point in a blog penned earlier this year; head here to read our thoughts.
HOW DO WE STAND OUT:
We’ve all noticed an influx of visuals generated by Midjourney. They have that signature ‘AI-generated look’, making it hard to stand out. However, if you consider AI tools similar to how you would the Adobe Creative Suite, the potential is multiplied tenfold. We as designers, work with different softwares and collaborate with specialists to get the best creative output. The process of integrating AI tools within the workflow is no different, using it as a sculpting tool and not final art. To stand out, one simply cannot rely on the output generated by AI. We need to push ourselves creatively—observe, learn, repeat and lean into the power of collaboration to build something that is truly remarkable and stands out in this overly saturated space.
INTEGRITY AND INTENTIONALITY:
The age of AI has absolutely transformed the way we approach design. It has redefined the drawing board, so to speak. Nothing seems impossible, and no task is too big. This means we, as creatives have a responsibility to progress with integrity and intentionality. We should strive to draw inspiration but never imitate. Using AI as a springboard to support creativity rather than steal from it. Being transparent about using AI is particularly pertinent to clients and consumers alike, especially when it’s been a fundamental part of the process.
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An AI Generated Content Series we have created for our partner, ILVE Appliances using Midjourney.
FIGHT THE BIAS:
It’s not surprising that AI platforms, especially image generators, have biases when predicting outcomes. These biases echo from the ‘real world’ data sets used to train and refine the models. We can do little to control the data sets; however, if we continue to create with human ingenuity and fresh perspectives, slowly but surely, we’ll be able to change the narrative.
WORK WITH AI, NOT AGAINST IT:
The faster you learn to negotiate with Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, the shorter your conversations will be to reach that final generated image in mind. Text-to-image generation using AI prompts can feel like an odd or unnatural way to make something creative. Nick conveyed that this actually reflects a normal conversation you might have with another human as you go back and forth, testing different words or sentences to reach a mutual agreement.
Keeping up with the conversation around AI is so important to shaping our practice and not falling behind in the fast-paced, digital, creative world. We’ve reaffirmed that integrating AI into the creative process requires a balance between leveraging its capabilities and preserving human distinctiveness. By embracing collaboration, pushing creative boundaries, and addressing biases, we can navigate the age of AI while maintaining our unique perspectives and creating truly remarkable work.
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