DESIGN & RATIONAL AI USE CASE

A recent project utilising semi-generative assets for deployment on Shopify for niche author site. Pre-existing routes to acquire artwork assets utilising a traditional workforce were considered too expensive, so a compromise was deemed an acceptable alternative. Original sketches were produced by hand and used alongside content prompts to produce and tweak artwork assets that were further honed with paraphrased short extracts of author IP (fiction books in this case) and re-written before entering into an offline, locally-hosted platform to further protect the original IP. An interesting and creative project that would never have seen the light of day using traditional resources. It's worth noting that the process was not particularly smooth nor without its hurdles but it was very efficient at rapidly prototyping the concept to a point where, if we went live, we'd opt to use traditional artworks like we do on all our books.

The global copyright theft of IP that all AI platforms use to fuel the generation of uncopyrightable assets is illegal, shameful, and dishonourable. Like many creatives, I hover between confused and troubled most days with the thought that our subsequent, almost coerced use of AI and generative art makes us complicit in this grim, dystopian 'techbro' coup d'état. But given a choice in a landscape that is increasingly slop-driven, I choose to employ semi-generative software in a way that is humane and makes rational sense. One that promotes symbiosis over replacement. One that enables both technology and artist to co-exist and, hopefully, thrive.

PHOTOGRAPHIC

The Asra Hawariat school

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

PHOTOGRAPHIC

A meeting to discuss trade initiatives during times of drought

Borena Zone, Ethiopia/Kenya

Academic marketing content

Tianjin, PRC

Tianjin Grand Theatre

Tianjin Municipal Government, PRC