It is now 2023 and I feel that we should be living in an alien landscape as depicted by the many science fiction films of my childhood. Except at first glance, nothing much seems to have changed. There are times though that I see glimpses of this new world when new technologies emerge and we can appreciate just how much our world has changed in recent years.
The more recent wave to hit the social media platforms is the emergence of AI and its skills in copywriting, image creation, video editing and so on. It is absolutely astounding what it can do. Far from it producing stilted robotic responses to any questions it is asked, it is very conversational, comprehensive and extraordinarily knowledgeable. In seconds it produces lengthy texts that sound remarkably human. It’s like talking to an intelligent graduate.
I have been witnessing it creating very laudable marketing strategies for businesses through to very comprehensive legal agreements for companies working together.
I watched a singer songwriter recently ask an AI to create a song about some topic he was working with, in the style of a particular artist that he loved. Within seconds, the programme played a song that actually sounded pretty good. He was impressed too. It was quite astounding.
The image creation is pretty spectacular however it is not flawless. I wanted to create a generic image of a taxi driver in a British city and I have to admit that it did look a bit like Frankenstein had been involved in the process. Even so, this is very very early days, so who knows what this technology is going to produce in the coming years.
As it is a self-learning programme, it is already producing surprises. For example it can tell what sex you are from a retina scan or your ethnic background from a lung X-ray. I gather that the medical professions have no clue how it is able to do this and can see no evidence to give them any ideas of what it can see that they cannot.
I know that for many people, they will be asking what has this got to do with luxury fashion and our unique creativity. For me, I can see that we are at the beginning of a massively important era of human appreciation. With technology doing a lot of the mundane tasks, this is going to free up our creativity.
For years I have had a passion for the Art of Hand Crafted. We have always championed the preservation of traditional techniques as well as celebrated innovation and new ways of creating interesting pieces.
Many thousands of hours have gone into developing our skills over the years and experience has offered many opportunities to combine various techniques to come up with inspiring art pieces that can only have come about because of the journeys that we have been on. Original work is as defined by our own uniqueness despite similar influences and paths walked.
There is the potential for a deeply spiritual connection between art appreciators and the artists crafting beautiful things. Art is not just about developing our unique style and expertise. As an artist when heart and soul becomes totally focused on our work, that body of art is naturally imbued with our attention and energy. When that piece resonates with someone, they are often not just inspired by the colour, form, and function of the piece but somehow resonate with the energy that is imbued in the piece.
For me, AI has a powerful part to play in this journey. Not only will it take on the everyday tasks that keep an artist away from their soul’s purpose but there will no doubt be a public reaction that is the antithesis of what AI is about.
If you are an artist, practise your art and put heart and soul into creating your uniquely original work. As a collector, find those pieces that light up your life and bring something special to your world.
Art may become one of the most valuable investments that we can make as a result of this technological development. It connects us one human to another particularly pertinent ways but most importantly it will always enrich our lives immeasurably.
By the way, this was not written by AI – but by my own fair hand and mind.
I would love to hear your thoughts on how you see this changing our world.
