The AI Conversation

I know many people are excited about (or at the very least, indifferent to) the new AI tools and generators that have shown up over the past few years, and those people might wonder why someone would ever feel the need to write a whole blog post about their feelings on the subject. I also know there are enough people who are concerned about the direction AI is headed that I feel it's important to dive into my personal stance on, and relationship with AI usage. Especially when it comes to my business and my art. Some of this stuff might be a deal breaker for certain people and I think it's better to acknowledge where we stand early on in the process so we don't waste each other's time.

Before we really get into the weeds, I want to clarify that I am not necessarily anti-AI. I realize the world changes and technology is going to keep progressing, and that the progression of technology often affects society with both good and bad outcomes. Nothing is without nuance. There's a lot I could say about my opinions on societal implementation of technology (which are summed up pretty well in this video by Ashley Embers), but I think the AI conversation is part of a larger tech conversation which involves reassessing how restrictions and incentives are managed.

So, I don't necessarily have a problem with AI in general, but I personally don't care to use generative AI in its current state. It consumes so much more than the value it produces. The detrimental effects it has had on the environment, economy and people's intelligence are far worse than any positives it has been able to achieve. It has also allowed corporations to essentially colonize the online art space. First it was trained on stolen IP, then corporations used it to price out and replace the same artists it stole from. Another important point is that I actually enjoy the process of creation. Laboring over a work of art is not the kind of labor I want to be outsourcing entirely to robots.

When it comes to AI usage in my business you can trust that I don't use generative AI to add any new elements into photos like perfect sunset skies, or to change the environment around the subject, add butterflies or bunnies, or make any other serious, dramatic alterations to what was originally captured in the camera. That is a service that some people may want, but it is not a service I provide. I also don't use AI to cull (decide which shots are best), or pre-edit photo galleries. I don't shoot big events that require sorting through hundreds or thousands of photos, and I actually enjoy flipping through 3 almost identical photos to decide which one is technically best.

I will sometimes use "intelligent" tools to remove an element from the background if I feel it negatively impacts the composition of the photo and couldn't have otherwise been avoided (such as a car, signpost, pedestrian, etc.), or to remove temporary blemishes, or stains. These are common alterations in the world of photography and something that I learned how to do well before AI tools existed. Honestly, I often still have to use the "manual" editing methods to touch up the areas that were altered by AI. It does save me time on edits I had already been making, but hasn't been an effective overall replacement.

I'm mature enough to understand that I probably also use it in ways I am not even aware of. I have no idea in the slightest how each of my editing tools are built or how they do what they do. Who knows what functions and processes they've slipped AI into at this point? I don't. I can't keep up anymore, I have kids to raise. Our current society was built on so many unethical, yet still unavoidable systems, and we're all just doing the best we can. Something definitely needs to change, but I'm pretty busy right now changing diapers, and trying to effectively shape a couple of young minds to be able to navigate a currently uncertain future. If you feel called to fight the system, I'm not going to stop you. We all have different roles to play while we're here, and there are no small parts in the theatre.

The bottom line is anyone can use AI to generate themselves doing crazy stunts, paste themselves into their favorite movies, or change their kid's face to a picture perfect smile instead of a snarky attitude. My mission in this business is to capture the moments that matter most to you. It is important to me that things are aesthetically pleasing, sure, but also mostly real. Maybe your kid decided to be a little pouty that day, or the rain came in out of nowhere. Life is messy, and imperfect, and beautiful; just the way it's meant to be. It's the messy, imperfect, beautiful, REAL moments you'll want to be able to look back on when you wake up tomorrow and its somehow 20 years later. I'd love to save them for you.