The robots are getting creative

I'm no artist.  In all honesty I make drawing stick men look complicated. However, if you're looking for innovative graphics or you're sick of using stock images, the future is looking bright!

It's not that I don't have creative ideas, it's just that I struggle to translate what is in my head onto the canvas.  However, yesterday I stumbled across a start-up called Midjourney.  They are producing art using artificial technology (AI), and I've got to say, in my humble opinion it's pretty cool!

Using Midjourney to make cool art

The product is currently in beta but you can join their Discord server to start testing it out. However, be warned - this is addictive!

For a non-artist such as myself, this is great.  I simply had to add in four or five keywords and then the AI kicks in.  You can let your imagination run wild or keep it to a theme.  In about 30 seconds you're looking at  four different pieces of art designed by the AI algorithms.  It was better than anything I could have drawn (although that's not saying much) and certainly faster.

You then have the option to create further variants or upscale (essentially add more detail) your artwork.

Within two minutes you can create awesome, unique artwork without lifting a brush.

How's this going to help my business?

Have you ever spent hours looking for stock images for a blog post or presentation, only to then see the same image being used elsewhere?  After a while, you get used to seeing the same old images being (over)used.

The great thing about AI generated art (such as the type that Midjourney produce) is that it can be unique to your business, blog, banner, or presentation.

In addition, you can also create some really weird, attention grabbing images.  In a world where attention is becoming one of the most valuable commodities, how you visually stand out in the sea of stock images is important.

If you want to attract attention to your product or service, but you're struggling to think of ideas, then maybe AI art is worth a look.

Does this mean human artists are out of a job?

Not at all.  Personally, I think that AI is great for getting concepts and ideas into a visual format for us non-artists.  However, if you really want to develop a concept, AI is not going to replace human creativity and experience any time soon.

It's in our nature to want to create and innovate.  AI may be able to add a helping hand (or brush) but it can't replace the creative spark placed in each of us.

But before I get too philosophical, this is also a tonne of fun.  If you want to see some of the truly unique and somewhat disturbing art (A)I created yesterday take a look below.

This is based on summer vibes, sun, ice cream, beach-related keywords.

Random one, but this is based on a Cockerel hiding (it has a complicated back story!).

This is clear based on F1 - this was specifically generated for a client who works in the sector.

This was supposed to be a black dog with a bone in a kennel - not quite as cute as I'd imagined!

If you've had enough of looking at weird AI art but you're interested in learning more about how you can structure your marketing efforts to attract attention, why not take a look at our "Intro to inbound" e-book.