Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere. Companies and creators alike are relying on this more and more. I remember first learning the craft of photography. We had a limited number of shots with film, no instant gratification on the back of an LCD, you needed to know how to compose, arrange elements in a scene and utilize light to make a photograph.

Seventy years ago In 1956, John McCarthy, a professor at Dartmouth College, organized a summer workshop to clarify and develop ideas about thinking machines, choosing the name “artificial intelligence” for the project. The Dartmouth conference, widely considered to be the founding moment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a field of research, aimed to find “how to make machines use language, form abstractions and concepts, solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans and improve themselves.” I am certain that Professor McCarthy had no concept of what was to come and how AI would integrate into all aspect of our lives, especially creatives.

Now a days, it can be difficult to tell if an image is genuine, especially if it is too good to be true. How can you make a decision one way or the other. Normally, if the image in question is in my area of interest or passion, I have put in the time on the subject to know what looks suspicious and what might not be believable, accurate and added. When in doubt, research it to become informed. I prefer the old fashioned way, books and the library. These are generally not tainted by the internet, search engines or even AI

Your social feeds are prime examples of individuals posting things that may be enhanced or have had things manipulated by AI. Here you can see things, particularly with animals, that just does not add up. Sometimes, these images garner hundreds or thousands of likes leading viewers to believe that is natural or true.

Having said all that. AI is already running many of the applications we use daily for post processing. This type of AI engine is not what bothers me. Using the remove tool or content aware brush in Photoshop is useful in removing things that may distract from the subject. Masking is another AI tool that is used often, and again fine to make a RAW photograph look like what you saw at the time of capture .

AI that creates a full image (like the one above) without any knowledge or skill behind the camera is what is frustrating to me as a photographer. I am more critical of images that I see now unless it is from a trusted source or known professional photographer that holds him or herself to a higher standard with the craft of photography. Now, when I view an image I have to ask the question, is it AI or not.

Please, leave me your thoughts below, I would love the conversation.