We seem to be moving at lightening speed towards a future of photography that heavily incorporates the use of AI. When we were first instructed to comment our reactions to AI I had barely ever seen or heard of its use. Obviously, there were those instances of posts that would show how the average human would look in 60 years and the deepfakes of Putin that circulated social media but I didn’t really consider how quickly it would take over photography and journalism.
There are some occasions where it illuminates images such as Halle Bailey’s Vogue cover for The Little Mermaid. However, there are often others were it feels misplaced, i.e. all the other instances of its use on magazine covers for May. Conversely, a huge issue is its use to humiliate people on the internet by putting their face on pornographic images or its ability to eliminate job positions for journalists as it can generate media stories. AI can be a cool feature that allows us the opportunity to enter a world we can only imagine or it can destroy lives and limit career opportunities. It like many other things is neither inherently bad or good but the person who utilizes the tool is who is the decider of its power.