The 2023 Microsoft Work Development Index report, “Will AI Repair Work?,” landed simply weeks after the launch of Bing Picture Creator, a brand new design device powered by a complicated model of DALL-E. When it got here to creating artwork for the report, the workforce noticed a novel alternative to discover how a human artist would incorporate it into their course of. Wouldn’t it assist generate concepts? What prompts can be handiest? And the way would utilizing AI as a co-collaborator affect the ultimate product?

The artist for the job: Los Angeles-based Jon Han. Han focuses on creating thrilling futuristic worlds with out the standard dystopian tropes. As a result of the report knowledge confirmed that most individuals are longing for AI to assist ease the load of labor, his type felt like precisely the appropriate method to carry the findings of the WTI report back to life.

Jon began by feeding prompts into Bing Picture Creator, testing how he may collaborate with it. Utilizing AI impressed a extra iterative method than what’s typical, as a result of enjoying round with it was fast and simple. “The method for this venture was an experimental one,” he says. “Simply attempting to see what it’s able to.”

Right here, Han takes us inside that course of.

Jon Han: In my normal course of, I learn a artistic transient, take into consideration the idea and visualize it in my head. So within the early stage right here, I needed to see how the device works with concepting concepts, and distinction that with my normal course of. I needed to see how the picture creator would visualize what I’m considering.

You may see that the device is utilizing numerous photo-reference pictures, however usually my work just isn’t as stiff—it’s extra summary. So I began attempting to push it to go to the specifics that I used to be on the lookout for visually.

Jon Han: Right here I shifted away from bridges and tried to push for a extra summary picture and a digital impact. I preferred the shapes of the panels and the digital really feel. However it regarded an excessive amount of like a sci-fi film. I wanted a happier temper.

Jon Han: This time, I added in ‘lush panorama,’ which made the picture extra atmospheric, not so darkish and digital. However the temperature of the image was just a little too cool. I put within the phrase “heat,” and it got here out like every part was on fireplace. Very like every other device, like Photoshop or oil portray software program, there’s tips to some of these items, the place sure prompts create sure varieties of pictures. So there’s a studying curve to determining tips on how to do these minor changes to get the specifics you need.

Jon Han: This time I added my identify to the immediate to see if it will be capable to reference my specific type based mostly on my printed illustrations. Including my identify made the individual smaller and acquired the appropriate standpoint, seeing the individual from the again. I do a variety of compositions the place I do a small determine in a panorama. However it didn’t really feel hyper-referenced to my work, in order that was good.

There are a variety of blended emotions amongst artists on AI-generated pictures, considerations whether or not these techniques might be referencing artists’ work with out copyright. I attempted to steer away from something that appears like an artist I do know. However one factor about this device, in comparison with different AI instruments I’ve tried, is that it didn’t seem to be it was referencing somebody’s work. This was endpoint for the concepting stage.

Jon Han: After these rounds of experimentation I had a transparent picture in my head of what I needed, so I created this idea sketch by hand. The entire image I needed to create was too complicated to speak to the picture creator. So moderately than carry AI-generated pictures immediately into this sketch, I made a decision to make use of the device [or the AI] in later phases to generate choices for specific parts of the illustration, like bushes or sky.

Usually, you would possibly do an web seek for photographs of issues like that, for reference. An artwork instructor as soon as taught me: by no means use the primary few pictures from an web search as your reference, as a result of everybody’s going to make use of these. So with the picture creator, it’s good that these are going to be generated a distinct manner.

Jon Han: Earlier than creating the full-color illustration, I used the picture creator to check completely different sky colours. I additionally tried pixelated bushes and wireframe bushes, on the lookout for one thing attention-grabbing that doesn’t have an excessive amount of of an AI really feel to it. This was all experimentation, discovering limitations, and experiments with management.

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Han says that for lots of people, AI picture creators are “form of like a shock field.” In his expertise, they’re most helpful if you don’t know precisely what you need. In a case the place a creator already has the picture they need of their head, a picture generator may be good for iterating particular parts.

We’re solely simply starting to see how next-generation AI can match into the artistic course of, and it’ll actually look completely different for each artist and creator. From the prompts individuals use to information the instruments to the diploma that AI does—or doesn’t—affect the ultimate product, every part is up for exploration.