Unlimited creativity with artificial intelligence
Author
Roland Guijs
Date
October 17, 2022
Reading time
3 minutes
Themes
It has been over fifty years since a woman’s high stack of paper included the source code of the navigation software for the Apollo mission (in the image below, the department director Margaret Hamilton stands next to it).
In the decades that followed, computers have become increasingly intelligent at a rapid pace. And more compact. Because where in 1943 the CEO of IBM still claimed that ‘there is a market for at most 5 computers worldwide’ (Lexology), now half of the world’s population has a computer in their pocket. And where computers traditionally do what you ask of them, they are now becoming more intelligent and independent. But can we also use this intelligence as creativity?
What is intelligence?
According to the leading American dictionary Merriam-Webster, intelligence can be described as 'the ability to learn, understand, and deal with new situations' (Merriam-Webster). And that is exactly what computers are getting better at. And also what we as humans pay less and less attention to. For example, Siri, the virtual assistant, has been around since the iPhone 4s. Where in 2011 it was a bit awkward to literally ask your phone to do something, voice recognition is now completely mainstream. No one bats an eye anymore when you enter your home, call out a few commands, and the lights turn on, the curtains close, and the music starts playing.
Midjourney
As with almost everything, something only really sparks the imagination when it becomes visual. The same goes for artificial intelligence. In 2021, DALL-E was launched, an AI program that creates a unique image based on words. Interest in this was relatively limited, partly because it wasn't that easy to get a result. This summer, Midjourney was launched, and this online tool provides a great glimpse into the future. You enter a number of terms, and the machine constructs an image from them. It can be an image of Trump in neoclassical style, an underwater McDonald's, or Van Gogh's Potato Eaters watching Netflix. Creativity knows no bounds, something a quick search on Google also proves. Based on the terms, 4 suggestions are generated, which can then be iterated upon. The charm of it; you throw in a few terms and an image comes out, is also its weakness. With artificial intelligence , only the input and output can be observed; all the steps in between are a black box.
My first attempt in Midjourney to create a futuristic bridge in neoclassical style.
Chance or threat?
And this is exactly what makes the discussion between chance and threat so interesting. From a creative perspective, a platform like Midjourney offers endless possibilities and is thus a source of inspiration. However, precisely because it is limited in terms of controllability, its practical application is restricted. For example, when visualizing technical products, it is precisely the details and nuances that matter, where working with a black box is not convenient. The development of artificial intelligence in itself is very interesting and relevant. As previously mentioned, preventive maintenance is a wonderful application, but also, for example, optimizing structures or the myriad possibilities in the medical sector. A commonly heard argument is the fear that smart machines will take over human activities, thus displacing jobs. However, if we can learn anything from the current labor shortages, it is that technological progress certainly does not mean a decreased demand for human input.
