Is it still about the journey, not the destination?

17

October

2023

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The saying “it’s about the journey, not the destination” has come a long way in guiding us through our efforts towards creativity and innovations. This philosophy has been an eternal message to us encouraging us to treasure the journey, gain from the experience, and appreciate the development that takes place within it. Nevertheless, as we speak, there is a subtle change in the story through the presence of generative AI which is changing our conventional views of the process and the value.

As such, the concept of generative AI is evolving to revolutionise creative processes through a capability that produces astonishingly precise and detailed end products. The emphasis is on the end results of this process as it can quickly create works of art, stories, and other products. Generative AI in this paradigm invariably focuses on the destination—the completed work, because it provides immediate and seamless results based on bypassing the creative process itself.

An example from my personal experience, I had an idea for an app that I had started in my first year of my computer science bachelor’s. I never finished the idea because I had difficulties with specific programming elements and recently wanted to give it another chance. With the help of Github co-pilot (a generative AI for programming), I finished the app within 2 hours. I was happy with the result but felt unsatisfied as it did not feel like I made it myself.

With time, generative AI will become even more sophisticated in its outputs while creating doubts concerning what is really involved in the process of creation. Although the journey is about the missteps, mistakes, and personal development necessary for the ultimate output, the emphasis on the AI-produced result distorts what lies at the heart of this process. Emphasis on efficiency and perfection may unintentionally relegate the inherent worth of the journey into the background which is more than mechanical aspect of, for instance, artistic performance.

However, while moving through this changing terrain, it is important to understand that the purpose of generative AI is to complement, not substitute, the journey. By using the AI capabilities to smooth out some parts of the process, the creators are able to focus on breakthrough, novel things for example. The path, coupled with human inventiveness interweaved with AI advancements, constitutes a significant component in this mutually beneficial association for human-AI symbiosis.

While generative AI may be altering our perception of the creative process, the essence of the journey, with its invaluable lessons and personal growth, remains an irreplaceable aspect of the human experience, regardless of the destination.

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Traveling Back in Time with TikTok’s 80’s AI Yearbook Photo Trend

6

October

2023

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For about a week, a new trend has risen in popularity in the TikTok community.

From the start, TikTok was a platform where creativity bloomed, and the current craze for “80s AI yearbook photos” trend has gone an extra step in taking nostalgia to unprecedented levels. Generative AI has made it possible for people once more to go to a decade associated with neon lights, perm, and large jackets. Even more, for people to experience fashion trends that they were never a part of.

The app that enables its users to do this is called Epik. They charge their users $5 dollars to create 60 yearbook pictures that are delivered in 24 hours, or $10 dollars if they want express delivery in 2 hours. So far almost every video that has been posted about the process of making the photos shows a queue of 1.000+ which goes to show that this is likely to be extremely profitable for the creators of this AI/app.

Generative AI continues to prove its ability in producing engaging and entertainment-rich experiences. In a matter of minutes, these sophisticated AI algorithms take a picture of your face and flawlessly put it into ‘80s yearbook photo frames that contain typical hair-cuts, fashionable styles and environment typical for this period. This is not just an ordinary filter, but rather a kind of time machine for photographing oneself.

This is in line with some of the major points we have made while studying this course. This highlights the possibility of using AI for purposes of entertainment and creativity. As a result, generative AI is not only about data analysis, but it can also become a means of artistic expression, converting ordinary selfies into notable creations of digital art.

This TikTok trend makes us think about the future of Generative AI in entertainment. Are we going to witness other movements where AI is used to revive ancient periods in time by methods that will be invented in the future? What implications could this have on our perceptions of nostalgia and cultural references?

To sum up, TikTok’s ‘80s yearbook photo trend is an enjoyable take on the use of AI in creating entertaining, but nostalgia driven content. This is an important message for our time. It means technology connects us both with the past and present so that we can investigate and appreciate different aspects of history. 

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