The use of AI in creative work is inherently controversial, even when it's use is limited and its purpose is to promote human talent. So when building a storytelling brand, I think it's crucial to be very clear about what role it plays and why.
The State of AI in Creative Work
With over 90% of marketing professionals currently using AI, it has already changed the business I remember from a few years ago. Most of the graphic artists I know are using it now, as well as 3D artists, copywriters, and filmmakers. AI is now embedded in all of the industry standard software and tools we use. There is, in fact, no real way to avoid it, because clients are well-informed regarding its benefits and efficiencies, and will make decisions based on what agencies can make the best use of those.
AI is a normalized part of our lives, and some of the world's biggest agencies are its most fervent evangelists (Media Monks, for example). Not because they want to fire their creatives or celebrate corporate theft, but because it empowers them to do so much more for their clients and that is critical to survival in the age we are living in now.
Defining AI vs Human Values
When introducing the idea of VR-adapted or immersive stories to readers and authors, the topic of AI attracts justifiable scrutiny. For my purposes, I don't work with story content written by AI, or world-design where AI is the lead designer. I work with stories written solely by human authors, and designers who who may use AI elements for the sake of efficiency but produce work using platforms that allow them to control and manipulate every detail of a scene in a ways that ultimately reflect their own talent.
Focusing on the 'Why' of AI
All that said, I use narrow AI to create voiceovers and YouTube thumbnails and some marketing images. Why even do that? Why use AI for some things and not others? Why center a brand on human storytelling and then use AI for some tasks?
It seems like a contradiction at best, and self-serving at its worst.
Simply put: I use AI for YouTube thumbnails, marketing images, and voiceovers because that is the only thing that makes financial sense for me in the business phase that I'm in, and because I see that AI is actually creating opportunities for artists (visual and vocal) to monetize their talent.
While it might have started as a tech venture that relied on piracy as a service, so did Napster, and its evolution gave us the streaming services we enjoy today, many of which have benefitted creators with paid licensing opportunities.
This is starting to happen now with AI:
Voice actors now use the AI platform ElevenLabs to serve a wider audience.
Visual artists now tune AI models with Stable Diffusion on their own work to experiment, securely expand their capabilities, and serve a wider audience.
AI features on music platforms such as Epidemic Sound can create altered lengths for songs so that artists can provide tailored assets to their customers.
Graphic artists use their experience and AI to boost their productivity and earn more income from a more diverse range of clients.
These are all trends that are set to increase for creatives who adopt AI, and in every case listed, AI is used to amplify human talent. This is the standard I measure my use of AI by. My passion is human storytelling, and my use of AI follows the promotion and amplification of human storytelling (no AI in the writing of the stories).
Understanding the Hate
And yet, I also completely understand the concerns of people who prefer that no AI be used in any part of a creative or promotion workflow. I understand that this is a passionate issue for many, and I respect that view and that choice, which is why I will always be completely and totally honest about how I use AI--so that you can choose whether you want to engage with the content I publish or not.
Providing Clarity
My current process is as follows:
I write or edit the work to be adapted without AI (other than spellcheckers).
I build the world and plot the camera's journey through the world without AI.
I render it without AI.
I edit it without AI.
I create the voiceovers using ElevenLabs, which is an AI-based creator platform for voice actors too now.
I choose the music from a human artist featured on a music platform and license it.
I generate a series of promotional images for each story using AI and I compose and edit these images in Photoshop.
That's a lot of human creative work. At the same time, for those who are adamantly opposed to the use of any AI at all, there are publishing ventures that will cater to those preferences, and I hope that I've provided the information needed for every person who interacts with my brand to make the choices that are best for them.
If I can answer any questions about AI, or my use of it, please leave a question in the comments and I will answer it as best I can.
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