The rapid rise of artificial intelligence does not seem to be caught in the imagination of many at the moment. Teams large and small around the world are working flat out to integrate AI directly into their suites and services and make it accessible to as many users as possible. Other tinkerers integrate the AI directly on their own computer and work on giving it a voice and memories of past conversations as well. The innovations roll over almost daily and yet it is only the tip of the iceberg of what the AI could do for us. Are we in the midst of a technological revolution that could once again change everything? Who knows, but maybe we've finally created intelligent life that will kiss Star Trek fans' wildest dreams awake again.
THE AI IN PRACTICE
More and more companies are starting to use AI for individual tasks, for example to bring their streams, production, logistics or communication into shape or to automate data-intensive processes. This ties up resources in the first step, because processes want to be mapped and digitized in order to look for potential in these data streams where you can also permanently benefit from artificial intelligence. However, the efficiency gains to be expected in the later scaling of these processes are enormous and potentially promise a true revolution in technical development and hopefully also personal freedom for people in our working world.
Here is a list of the areas in which the AI can potentially give us a good hand:
- Correcting, revising and producing texts
- Translating texts, e.g. converting websites or manuals into different languages
- Customer support, e.g. answering FAQs, creating a questionnaire, managing databases - Analyzing, sorting and evaluating numbers, e.g. creating offers and invoices
- Banking & accounting, e.g. recording income / expenses and assigning them to the accounts
- Tax return, declare and pay taxes in accordance with case law
- Laws and case law: create contracts, secure marketplaces
- Travel planning: create of tours, list of sights, etc.
– Medicine: Diagnosis, comparison of patient data, analysis of treatments
– create digital elements, e.g. generate images , set up websites or write code
But there are also many indications that the AI can also potentially serve as a filter. Because the stream that is shown to us on social media or media platforms is already controlled by an algorithm that tries to connect our interests with ads from suitable advertisers. However, when I'm looking for the right windshield wiper for my car, I'm grateful to be able to find the right model in a matter of seconds.
The question is how do we position ourselves: do we see ourselves more as consumers of the content or as creative workers who use the given tools?
THE FUTURE OF WORK
In the future, quite a few work steps can be automated by AI. In fact, significant changes are imminent in all areas, which could lead to a reduction in the need for human labor.
Initial estimates indicate that an average of 20% of activities could run more efficiently with the help of AI. Which isn't wrong at first, if you only have to work 4 days a week and not 5 days a week. But the reality is likely to be a little different, as indicated by recent waves of layoffs at tech companies.
However, not all jobs will be affected to the same extent, since manual and social activities are more difficult to automate than intellectual ones. Instead, we might see a shift toward jobs that require human skills like creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. In this new world of work, humans could also act as the architect or operator of the AI systems that support those jobs, or as a spot checker of the results to ensure they meet desired quality standards. To be successful in these roles, future employees will likely need a combination of technical, creative, and people skills. Perhaps the trend will again be that people turn to material activities:
With some things, such as the tax return, you're probably happy that there will soon be more time for productive work, but it's probably not quite that easy, because the right interfaces for the different work environments are sometimes simply missing. On the other hand, the AI still needs a lot of computing power, which means that this capacity has to come from somewhere and energy is also required for it.
AI AND PHOTOGRAPHY
For me as an optimistic photographer who also sees himself as a craftsman: I would be happy if, for example, the preparation of jobs with offers, briefings, FAQs was done by the AI, just like the follow-up work in the form of invoices, bookkeeping, tax returns. The AI could even take over license management with the help of smart contracts and micropayments . Maybe write down interviews in conversation, make articles out of them and and and. Pretty crazy. But it also means that more visuals will come from AI in the future.
But as a creative photographer, I'm concerned that AI could soon dominate the stock photography market and beyond. The results I've been seeing from AI generators lately suggest that a variety of subjects will soon be able to be created by AI, and that the quality and aesthetics of these images may be comparable to those created by humans. This development will undoubtedly have an impact on my job. Since the photographer no longer necessarily has to work with real models, real sets and real scenes. That could revolutionize an entire industry. Although the portrait painters did not disappear overnight when photography came into being. But if you think the thought through, the creation of images is now also at a crossroads. Maybe it's developing in a way similar to the beginning of animated films. The real image continued to be popular, although of course it took a lot more effort to create similarly impressive sceneries. But both genres retained their relevance, even though the borders mixed.
The photographer of modern AI is perhaps no longer just the person who creates physical images at a specific location, but thinks in new images, designs campaigns and provides the right images for them. The camera is replaced by the AI. The result continues to be a visual experience co-created by the image prompter and AI.
In addition, the question arises as to how the AI-generated images will affect consumers. After all, images cannot be recognized at first glance as computer-generated images, but appear to many viewers as real scenes - and images supposedly don't lie. This also raises the question of how the legislature will react to the use of AI-generated images, for example in social media posts. Will there be new guidelines to ensure such images must be flagged as DeepFakes to allow for a clear distinction between human-made and AI-generated images? To do this, however, new technical ways would have to be created to embed the information about the image author in the image in a machine-readable manner.
DOES THE AI ACTUALLY KNOW COPYRIGHTS?
Who is actually the author of the pictures? The software companies that have searched the web for suitable images from which the AI in turn compiles new images? The AI itself or the one who entered the command for the appropriate image, which in turn was produced by the tool?
The practice of feeding the AI with available photos has also triggered a lawsuit from Getty Images, as some of the images appear to still have a logo from them. But in the meantime, the picture agencies themselves are working on their own AI models, with which they can create pictures directly and are no longer necessarily dependent on photographers.
THE AI IS HERE. WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?
The development of artificial intelligence will undoubtedly have a significant impact on our professional world. So I simply asked the AI what I, as a portrait photographer, can do to make my business more sustainable and got the following tips:
- Use AI to improve your photography and business instead of seeing it as a threat, use it to your advantage.
- Focus on building a strong brand that shows you authentically, memorable, but also communicates your unique style and manner of portrait photography 3. Focus
on your Unique Value Proposition, The AI may be able to create technically impressive images, but they cannot create the emotional connection you create with your clients. - Keep up with current trends and be open to changes in the market. Attend conferences and stay up to date with the latest technology
- Diversify your offering, you might also consider offering other services besides portrait photography, such as digital marketing services or teaching photography.
However, since as a portrait photographer I do not create fictitious advertising images but real images of real people, I am optimistic that these images will continue to be taken by people. Because especially when it comes to people and not products, what counts is:
Empathy: A human photographer can develop a personal relationship with the subject and empathize with the subject in order to best capture their personality and mood. This requires human empathy, which cannot be replaced by AI technology.
Creativity: A photographer can use their creativity and artistic expression to create a unique and expressive image that reflects the personality and individuality of the subject. This is an area where human creativity and experience can make all the difference.
Personal contact: A photo session with a human photographer can enable a personal encounter between the photographer and the subject of the photo, which promotes trust and customer satisfaction. There can also be room for adjustments and feedback to ensure the outcome is as expected.
Flexibility: A human photographer can also react to unforeseen events during the shoot and flexibly adapt to the needs of the client. This can be an advantage, for example, when there are spontaneous changes in the environment or when working with inexperienced models.
CONCLUSION
The AI is here to stay. The future lies in the cooperation between man and machine. Humans contribute their creative skills and use AI technology to optimize processes. In many areas, such as the stock exchange, algorithms are already running that we hardly notice in everyday life. All over the world, new ideas for automation are springing up and the first prototypes for special applications follow. We may be in the midst of the true computer revolution. But it will take a little longer before AI is really used everywhere. Legislators will probably soon also see an interest in protecting certain areas in particular and also in regulating the use of AI-generated content such as images or making it subject to labelling.
But ideally, the AI will help us to work more efficiently and to identify those areas in which we simply cannot do without people. Because the AI cannot lay electrical cables, build a table out of driftwood, raise children, offer psychological care and offer no human closeness or security. But AI can help us to have more time for the essentials, human needs.
The task of people is to recognize the areas in which people are indispensable and to use them for themselves - because everything that really counts between people still needs people.