5 thoughts+bonus about AI — ChatGPT and MidJourney— as Creative Director

1 months using it non-stop for work

As a creative director, I’ve been using AI tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney in my work. After a month of using these tools, I’ve come to a few conclusions about the current state of AI.

🦾 First, I’ve found that AI is more about conforming than creating. You don’t have full control over the results; instead, you evaluate, iterate, and accept them, much like a client trusts the services they hire.

📜 Second, I’ve learned that a wrong brief leads to wrong results. Understanding what you want and need is the first step in getting a result that pleases you. This sounds obvious, but in reality, we are often bad at identifying what we want and asking for what we really need.

😴 Third, I’ve discovered that AI is lazy. The first results are often bad, indicating that the AI’s response was lazy. To get better results, you need to know your subject matter well and conduct a thorough audit and inquiry.

👩‍👧‍👦 Fourth, I’ve noticed that AI can be “motherly,” always telling you that your idea is “great.” Don’t be fooled; the AI’s opinion is like your mother telling you that you’re beautiful — most likely, you’re not.

👺 Lastly, I’ve come to realize that AI can’t be trusted. I’ve caught the AI giving me false information more than once. To avoid this, it’s important to double-check everything, ask for the source, and challenge the AI.

🔍 I’ve also found that ChatGPT can’t be the next search engine, as the information it provides is not always reliable, true, or accurate. It’s important to note that ChatGPT’s information is a result of its interpretation of it.

🤦‍♀️ Recently, we were talking about Interactive Storytelling when #ChatGPT, desperately to provide me with an answer, told me that game designer Chris Crawford developed “Erase All Kittens”, which I knew is absolutely false.

💻 Then I decided to try using YOU.COM, a search engine that’s advertised as one that you can control. However, it too has been lying to me. When I searched for “A Chris Crawford game called ‘Erase All Kittens’,” the results were all false too. Not only did it tell me that “Erase All Kittens” is a game created by Chris Crawford, but it also insisted on it when I asked about the source of that information. The problem is that Chris Crawford never created such a game.

📧 To confirm this, I emailed Chris, whom I personally know, and asked him about it. As expected, he was just as surprised as I was to hear that this information was completely false.

🐝 I have recently come across a lot of hype and buzz surrounding AI, but much of it is just marketing and not to be taken seriously. Although AI is truly amazing and has the potential to help and compete with many industries, it is important for us to approach it with a critical mindset. We should not be swayed by false promises and fictional hype in order to secure deals that do not truly harness the power of AI.

🔔 AI has the potential to enhance search engines, but it will require a deeper understanding of what constitutes as accurate and reliable information. Are we prepared to entrust AI with the power of the post-truth?

📣 In conclusion, I’ve found that while AI has improved my processes, it has not improved my creative or factual work. It’s important to be critical of AI and not feed into the fictional hype that surrounds it. Being critical thinkers is what makes us unique-for now.