Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) will reshape how we live, work and do business. So they say. One thing is sure: artists must think through these issues and develop strategies to either exploit opportunities or guard themselves against the impact of this new ever, ever-evolving technology. How can they stay informed about this phenomenon in an atmosphere of uncertainty?
This short exploratory article describes one teaching approach to working with images across a few platforms. Gen AI and LLMs will impact the working style of artists in the 21st Century.
Artificial Intelligence - a boost or a curse for modern artists
by Jo_Murphy
Is the anticipated impact of AI on human-centred innovation hysteria, evidence of a conspiracy theory or an ethical dilemma? What will AI mean for artists today and in the future?
The key words are generative, artificial and intelligence
A rose by any other name
Generative artificial intelligence can also be called generative AI, GAI, or GenAI. A simple explanation of artificial intelligence is that it is software capable of generating text, images, synthetic data, or other media capable of being created by software. 
To generate means to produce or create. And what the software can do is create media from verbal and written prompts. For this to be able to happen someone has trained the software to recognise and ustilise prompts. In some cases, artistic software can generate pictures by being informed by base images. To generate means to make or create.
A real photo was of the the Warrego River was uploaded into Photoshop © Adobe.This became the background for the creation. This base image can be thought of as a context. It sets the scene for the message "Live the Dream". CONTEXT. can also be thought of as a stage upon which a message is created.
The two elements that will be combined imply what living the dream is for the creator.Not everyone would think that travelling around the outback in a Kombin is living the dream. In that sense this work is a rhetorical question. It is implied that the happiness created by the Synergy of the Warrego and the Artesian Bores will be augmented by the happy activity of fishing for supper and cooking on the camp ovens of the caravan parks. Some people would rather stay at home.
Generating Images with DreamUp
Dream Uo is an AI tool provided by Deviant Art
To create the image of a Grey Nomad sitting fishing on the Warrego, I input words and word strings to an AI generator. Prompts are short, pithy commands that are provided for a generator either verbally or in written form. The prompts for this image were: Person Sitting Fishing Old Camp Chair Back To Camera. I knew in advance that I wanted the person to be facing the river. This was because I started with the photo of the Warrego. I already had ideas about positioning.
I could of course have started with the person fishing and then created the river around that image. There is a great deal of choice when designing a picture.
So to create the person fishing, I used DreamUp on Deviant Art. The image was designated as Anime style.
Here is my handle.
http://tinyurl.com/9dj835vc
This is just one of four image versions that was generated by exactly the same, written prompt. I have paid for a year subscription to make the whole process easier and there are plenty of tokens so that I can work freely with my classes.
I transported one of the images into Adobe Photoshop and used AI Generative to cut all of the background away.
AI Generative is a simple strip located on the stage in Adobe Photoshop.
After cutting the background away I
- selected
- copied
- pasted
I did the same with the Grey Nomad's Kombi Van BUT chose a different style of picture called Vaporwave. After. combing the three images, I brought the picture together by saving it as a png.
Then, by converting the image to CMYK Colour, the image was flattened and this enabled some colour work.
After all of this work was been combined, the image is ready to use for a variety of purposes One os these purposes will be described in an article called Red Bubble.
Colouring Sheets and Teacher Word Searches
Have you ever wondered how colouring pictures are created?
Over a period of time, I have been experimenting with DreamUp. Deviant Art.
I have been commissioned to paint a giant sunflower. I wanted to tease out how the centre of the sunflower looks without color, and so I tried the Line Drawing feature on Dream Up. This is what I produced.
So that's how they do it, I thought. This is how they make colouring pages.
How much time will teachers save if they just make colour pages they want by keying a simple description into Dream Up.
How much happier will young students be if they learn how to make their own?
OK. Let's try some more.
Here is another version of This is Not Peanut.
Art teachers will instantly recognise the value of being able to produce fun contour drawings for their Art classes.
This drawing took me no more than a minute.
But WAIT! There is more. it is very hard to entice students to want to create their own contour drawings. teachers can teach the concept quickly and easily with LineArt generated by DreamUp. Now the students are keen to shade the contours and learn about creating form.
Question. Why continue doing art?
Will AI eliminate the need for artistry
Will AI take work away from artists or make being an artist's life easier? 
Will AI encourage or discourage cheating and forgery or detect deepfakes, and empower those who express their creativity by making the process quicker while also allowing a deeper more creative exploration of topics and themes? Will AI undermine or transform arts based education? These questions can't be answered right away.
So I started exploring what AI could possibly mean for me. What will it mean for my art process and the marketing of that art.
I created this image of an emu running after my ute by entering text in DreamUp on Deviant Art.
It is not too bad, it was quick easy and at a pinchy could be used to illustrate a travel article when writing about the outback of Australia. Certainly, it didn't make me feel that buzz an artist feels when creating an image. Basically, it is just a picture of an emu running after a ute in the outback.
But as you saw above if used creatively this resulting image is much more like an authentic piece of art. If this combination was transposed to canvas and turned into a painting. I am sure that artistic buzz would be very loud indeed!
How will AI affect the working life of artists and teachers
As an artist or a teacher are you already using AI?
Stay tuned for a comprehensive discussion about AI
Get involved in the discussion -take the poll.
Throughout the year I will be journaling about AI. When I first started experimenting, I think I was prejudiced about an innovation that might take work away from artists while also making the world artificial and lifeless.
This hasn't been my experience.
Please take my poll. 
I am interested to hear about your experiences.
How has AI affected your artistic practice this far?
I made up a prompt (pulled from thin air) "child running through a paddock yelling I am coming"
In my mind I am thinking the child is late for supper? But you can't tell the AI that.
The four images below are the result
Updated: 02/02/2024, Jo_Murphy
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Comments
I will get this right but for now here is another one it is up the top next to your first one. D
So Frank, When we grew up the catch cry was "own the means of production".
It isn't the case that only rich capitalists can own the means of this production. When I was setting myself up as a freelancer I used to go to the local library everyday and work there for free. The cost of AI is not that high. What this means it is about initiative and dedication.
To be truthful anyone can learn as my kids at school have shown. So what it means is change. But , it doesn't mean the ppor get poorer and the rich gat richer. Not from where I am looking.
Elementary series episodes with Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock? I will have a go!!!
The Bella episode is quite riveting.
Might you have some way of accessing Elementary series episodes with Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock?
AI suspected of murdering its creator - hmmm!
Frank, I will answer you - but - I just need to do a little research first.
So the whole process is one of training. So the machine responds very well. I will show you how I have trained my voice by uploading a recording of the real thing. Then I will upload the machine generated JO
I out it at the top of the comments section. It is not quite what you want, but I will work at it until I get what you want! Thanks for playing.
The second paragraph to the first subheading, The key words are generative, artificial and intelligence, advises us that "To generate means to produce or create. And what the software can do is create media from verbal and written prompts. For this to be able to happen someone has trained the software to recognise and ustilise prompts."
How does AI react or respond when the prompter suggests corrections?
Always ask yourself whon profits from an innovation. Outside the fields of medicine and the military, the latter of which do not benefit from an-Ai aimed missile, the beneficiaries are rich capitalists keen to shed labour. I envisage great impoverishment for many and vast accumulations of wealth for the owner's of ai. I envisage a backlash in which people trade in traditional hand made crafts, under the headline made by human hands. But I also foresee riots at places. In Britain we had Luddites and the Captain Swing riots to protest at New technology in the nineteenth century. Whether THIS will happen in my lifetime I know not..