Artificial Intelli-what?
Happy new year! Yes I know. It’s JULY!! But my last blog post was Christmas Day 2022. So, I owe you, the reader, a wish for a happy new year. Or let’s say happy “remainder of the” year!! :D .
I’ve had a very hard time getting motivated to write, paint (watercolor), sketch, doodle and draw. Well, I still doodle because that’s practically an unconscious behavior. It just happens. The others listed are something that I have to make efforts to do and produce. But it’s all things I enjoy. There’s really only one real reason it’s been difficult to get motivated: laziness? Feels like this, I’d rather binge Netflix, or read an easy summer novel (hello Elin Hilderbrand… who’s with me?!), or go for a walk, or scroll through Instagram and see what all those awesome artists I follow are doing, or just sit outside and watch the grass grow. Laziness or creative block?
Today’s motivation to write this post: Anne LaFollette. I’ve mentioned her in previous blog post #4 (How I came to pursue surface pattern design.) Anne has a weekly live chat about art and surface design. She is the reason why I am pursuing a (second) career in surface pattern design. (At least TRYING to pursue a career). Today’s chat was about ChatGPT. I should mention that Anne is 65 years old. I am 54, and I want to be just like Anne when I grow up. Because she embraces technology fearlessly. Anyway, she was talking about ChatGPT like she’s a millennial. She’s been using it all year. She knows her way around this “tool”. And she uses it like it’s no big deal. And encouraged all of us to try it if we haven’t. Most of the ladies that were listening live to Anne had already tried using ChatGPT. (Unlike me, who is dragging her feet with a little fear.) It didn’t sound like any of them were worried about the implications of using artificial intelligence. And it made me wonder if I’m not being a big ole ‘fraidy cat and a paranoid puss. Or maybe I think too much… (is there such a thing?… mmmmh I don’t think so, but that’s for another time.)
I’ve heard about all this artificial intelligence (AI), but my knee jerk reaction to AI is fear. I mean, I’ve seen all the Terminator movies. Yes, I know those are JUST MOVIES. But c’mon. I totally believe that, in some ways, it’s based on reality. I fear losing my humanity in using any AI “tools” like ChatGPT, or any of the AI tool in design software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I haven’t tried those either.
This is the personification of artificial intelligence…. in my brain. Not pretty.But if I think about it, I use Google a bajillion times a day. I use a “SMART” phone that is also an awesome camera. [Sidebar: I hardly use my “smart” phone to make phone calls. I use it to text. Seems like everyone would rather text than call. And I’m no different. Please don’t call me. Text or email me. Hahaha!!]. I do my banking online or on a APP on my SMART phone. All virtual if you will. Most of my bills I pay online. And I use Venmo anytime I need to pay a personal friend for lunch, or to send money to my children’s teachers, or a vendor for services rendered. Also, I use stock photography in my professional life because it streamlines the graphic design process. Seems that these examples are not any different than using the now trendy artificial intelligence.
Anyway, so I put aside my fear (of my identity getting stolen. Not my personal information, but what makes me original, my personality, my writing style, my ideas), and I signed up for ChatGPT. I mean if Anne LaFollette can do it, then so should I. I aim to use it as a TOOL and not as a replacement of me. I think it would be interesting to train it to write in my style for times when I get stuck. Maybe it will help me stay motivated to write. For now, this is still all me. If I ever do post a blog that was partially written by AI, I will probably place some kind of disclaimer. Maybe you will be able to tell the writing is not all me. Maybe you won’t. But the content will still be all me. Now your turn! Go sign up for ChatGPT and try those AI tools on the Adobe design software. Overcome your fear! (Easier said than done).
Here is Anne’s live chat about ChatGPT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTodAH86dSU&t=23s