How Artists & Creators Can Cope With Generative AI: Embrace It, Don’t Fight It

By Abhinav Girdhar

As AI-generated images flood our lives, they have created quite a lot of discomfort in the creative industries. Will the artists now be replaced by AI? This has been a pertinent question. As a creator, you’ve also felt the ripple effects of tools that generate images, music, text, or video from simple prompts. For artists such as musicians, writers, designers, and editors, the emergence of tools that can mimic or replicate human creativity may feel like a threat. It's obvious to view AI as a danger, but resisting it won’t make it disappear. 

However, generative AI doesn't have to replace or diminish creative expression, as it can help you to enhance your work. When artists have the mindset of becoming collaborators rather than competitors, they will be able to win this AI wave. All it takes is clarity and proper guidance to leverage generative AI technology effectively.

Since AI has already woven itself into the fabric of the creative world and it continues to prosper as well because several artists and creators are embracing this technology as a creative weapon. Therefore, this article offers insights and guidance on how artists and creators like us can cope with generative AI.

Generative AI is a tool, not a Replacement: Breaking the Myth

When we first hear about automation or the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a job, it's common to feel a bit sceptical or worried. In our hesitation, we often create and share myths about these new tools without even realising it.

This is what happened with Generative AI. When we saw the rise of Generative AI in creative works like writing stories, creating music, video, and various other content, we got threatened as it is going to take our job, or let’s say going to replace us.

But things are completely different from what has been perceived for a long time. Of course, generative AI can create a piece of content in minutes that writers take around a day to do, but the question that we need to ask is, does it have the quality that you, as a writer, can provide? When you use AI, is your audience feeling connected as they used to? Or do they feel the emotion behind every word you write? Most importantly, does it adhere to your writing style, which has managed to create a connection with the audience? That’s not possible because at the end of the day, Generative AI is a Machine and your audience are humans who want to feel connected with your work to appreciate it.

Instead, you can do the following things to make Generative AI work for you, maybe the job for which you needed an assistant. Brainstorm about your work idea or topic to avoid the creativity block and keep the ideas flowing. One can also get it to do research tasks, instead of going through search engines and reading numerous blogs, articles, or research. Discuss your social media strategy or marketing strategy to boost your growth. It can help you create your content calendar. Fashion designers can use AI to discuss their outfit patterns and dress or colour combinations. Thus, it can be a great tool for a second opinion. 

Upskill to Stay Ahead

AI’s fast evolution demands continuous learning, as these tools are evolving day by day. As technology users, we need to and we must stay in touch with the advancements. Creators who adapt will outpace those who don’t. Familiarising yourself with AI tools relevant to your field will leverage you as a professional and set you apart from others. For instance, Stable Diffusion for visual artists, Runway for video editors, and Chat GPT for writers and designers are some popular tools that can be leveraged by professionals to gain a competitive edge. Additionally, many platforms offer free trials or tutorials, like online communities on X, Reddit, or Discord, which can also provide real-time insights from peers experimenting with generative AI.

Beyond tools, you need to gain significant knowledge of prompt engineering. This is one of the major skills that sets you apart from other users. An effective prompt can make your work easier. To master this skill, study successful prompts shared by creators online to refine your approach. Additionally, explore AI’s limitations, overreliance on trends, or lack of emotional depth, so you can refine with your human touch.

Build a Hybrid Creative Process

The most successful creators know how to adopt AI and blend it with traditional methods. The same approach needs to be followed to get the best output from generative AI technology. A hybrid approach lets you maximise efficiency while preserving authenticity.

For a better understanding of the hybrid creative process, there are many examples of creative people using AI. A musician can use AI to generate a basic melody and then layer it with live instrumentation. A painter can start by creating a raw image using gen-AI, then add textures and details by hand. To excel as a graphic designer, designers can use AI to generate logo concepts and layouts quickly and further refine them manually with their branding expertise. They can experiment with iterative workflows: generate, refine, repeat. AI can also be used to produce multiple variations of a concept, select the best output, and enhance it with your expertise. Over time, you’ll develop a seamless process that feels intuitive, not forced by any other external constraints.

To conclude, we can say that across every field, AI is not here to take away your creativity. Instead, it can help you work better and explore new ideas. By learning how to use AI wisely alongside your creative work, you can keep control and improve your skills for the future. Always use AI to support your creative efforts, not to take over. Start with small steps, try new things, and let AI join you on your creative path.

(The author is the Founder & CEO of APPY Pie)

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.

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