What Humans Must Protect

AI is surely pushing us all to rethink how we should approach the image-making skill and process.

The way I understand it is, AI is also CGI. Information is taken, processed, and an output is given. The core flow is the same at a fundamental level.

Going by the conventional method, we create models, place props & vegetation, lights, camera, textures etc. to give information to the render engines. It processes the info & gives an output. It is for us to figure out how to use AI to the best of its abilities & functional utility.

I am noticing a pattern already in a lot of projects that are published on social media each & every day. The uniformity & lack of diversity is evident.

“Control” is important. Diversity, style, vision & story has to take the centre stage. AI should support the idea, enable us to explore possibilities, help in decision making, add details with less effort than before. All in alignment with the idea.

AI gives convenience. I am concerned that convenience may take over. A lot of people will opt for convenience over principles.

In the recent past, a lot of architects / clients sent us AI generated options for facade designs. Now this should have been only limited to the designer’s personal exploration of ideas & not a baseline starting point of design. AI feeds on images. Now a building’s design cannot be dependent on visual input alone. It is disastrous.

The ability to explore possibilities, test ideas without having to spend hours in a 3D scene excites me. The ability to incorporate, enhance & modify details in the image is very satisfying. The render times are going to go down drastically in future.

AI may democratize the industry. It can kill the monopoly of some software companies. This is just a possibility that seems less likely the way the industry is moving, but the hope & possibility is exciting.

With image creation becoming more & more convenient, the main threat could be a fall in demand. We have to be aware that CGI may shift considerably to an extent where it’s more a utility than a profession of expertise.

Art will still be of importance, just the utility & demand may change for the worse. The design software in future may integrate AI tools to get very functionally perfect images for design visualization & communication. The industry is not immune.

I am looking at how photography as a profession evolved. Cameras became digital. Need for technical expertise reduced. The learning curve became less steep. The ability to explore possibilities increased with the evolution of technology. But in photography, there is still a tangible element at play. I’m hoping that visualization evolves like so, but we’ll have to keep evolving & be prepared for a pivot in future if required.

Humans must protect identity & diversity above everything else. Convenience will drive people towards standardization instead of creative expression.

AI should only help & empower & not set trends or dictate outputs. We are talking about intellectual property. Humans must own that ownership, not in legal terms, but in philosophical terms.