Ep 125: FutureCrafting – The AI Creative Revolution

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are continually seeking innovative ways to stay ahead and drive success. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed industries, unlocking new realms of possibilities. In the latest episode of the Everyday AI podcast, titled "Futurecrafting: The AI Creative Revolution," experts shed light on the integration of generative AI into creative workflows and its potential to redefine the creative industry.

AI in the Creative Field:

The episode discusses the transformative impact of generative AI on the creative industry. From improving copywriting and visuals to enhancing videos, AI has become a powerful tool for creative professionals. The focus lies on leveraging AI to craft compelling narratives, just like a movie trailer does for a book. By integrating generative AI into the creative workflow, businesses can explore new dimensions of creativity and storytelling, amplifying their communication efforts.

Leveling the Playing Field:

AI democratizes the creative process, empowering individuals to produce high-quality content. Much like the advent of Adobe Photoshop, which revolutionized photo editing and design, generative AI acts as an amplifier for creative professionals. However, while the tools are accessible, skill and expertise remain vital in unlocking their full potential. Business owners and decision-makers must invest in upskilling their teams to leverage AI effectively within their creative endeavors.

Getting Started with AI:

Implementing AI into the creative workflow can feel daunting at first, but the opportunities are vast. The Everyday AI podcast highlights the importance of understanding the purpose behind AI integration and sharing this knowledge within your team. Engaging with intelligent individuals who are receptive to change and familiar with frameworks such as Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" can foster a smooth transition.

Embracing the AI Creative Revolution:

Rather than resisting technological advancements, businesses and decision-makers should actively embrace them. Complaining about the potential loss of certain jobs serves little purpose. Instead, focus on leveraging new tools and technologies to solve problems and uncover fresh possibilities. Business owners and decision-makers who possess a creative skill set hold the power to amplify the capabilities offered by AI tools, driving their businesses to new heights.

Conclusion:

The AI creative revolution is already transforming the creative industry, opening doors to unparalleled creativity and innovation. By working collaboratively, understanding the potential of AI, and embracing new technologies, businesses can become trailblazers in their respective fields. Whether it's improving copywriting, enhancing visuals, or refining video content, generative AI has the potential to revolutionize business communication. As the podcast episode underlines, now is the time to engage with AI, harness its power, and lead the creative revolution in business.

Topics Covered in This Episode

1. Visualization and Creative Possibilities with AI
2. AI's Impact on Creativity
3. Prompting and Engaging Gen AI for content creation
4. Future Crafting and Changes in the Creative Industry
5. Integrating AI into the Creative Workflow

Podcast Transcript

Jordan Wilson [00:00:17]:

How can creatives actually get AI into their workflow? Right? Like, we talk about it all the time. This tool, this technique, this problem solved with Gen AI. Generative AI can do all these creative things, but how do we start? And then where do we take it from there? That's what we're gonna be talking about today on Everyday AI. Welcome. This is your daily livestream podcast and free daily newsletter, helping everyday people like me and you make sense of AI. My name is Jordan Wilson, and I'm super excited to be talking about future crafting and and what AI means and kind of this AI creative revolution that we have going on. Everything from, you know, better, Faster copy to to images, to video, to just even, you know, what it means to be creative, in this new day of AI. So, before we get to that, we're gonna start as we always do and go over the daily AI news.

Jordan Wilson [00:01:11]:

And as a reminder, if you're joining us live, Thank you so much. Please get your comments in. Have a great guest lined up for today. But what do you wanna know? What do you wanna know about, creativity and AI in putting it to work for you. Please leave us a comment. And if you are listening on the podcast, thank you as well. Check your show notes As we do every single day, not just to subscribe to that free daily newsletter, but to also we always leave other important information, and Relevant, related stories in the show notes, so check that out as well. Alright.

Daily AI news

Jordan Wilson [00:01:41]:

Let's start out with the AI news. Well, Pretty pretty big news because we have 2 big names in tech teaming up. So we have NVIDIA, Yeah. You know NVIDIA and Foxconn. So they've announced a partnership to build what they're calling AI factories, using NVIDIA chips and Software for various applications, including, self driving cars. So this is, NVIDIA teaming up with Taiwan's Foxconn, which is the world's largest Contract electronic makers, also maker of the iPhone. Then obviously, NVIDIA is the leader in the GPU, chip race. I don't even know if it's much of a race, because no one's really keeping up.

Jordan Wilson [00:02:19]:

But, you know, NVIDIA's driving everything, on the Gen AI side, specifically with the GPU chips. And it, Foxconn is one of the biggest names in, cons consumer electronics. So it's gonna be super interesting to see what they, announce and what comes out of that partnership. Alright. Next piece of news. Britain is aiming to be a leader in AI safety. So Britain is set to host the 1st global AI summit With the aim of positioning itself as a leading player in the tech sector after Brexit. So the summit will bring together key figures from all over the world, including Some interesting, sides coming together here.

Jordan Wilson [00:02:54]:

The US, China, and EU, to the, and the EU to discuss existential threats Posed by AI and international collaboration on regulation. I'm personally excited to see what's gonna come out of this, if anything, because, You know, we have, US and China don't always come together on these global matters, so this is gonna be interesting to see what transpires there. But also, you know, the EU is really leading, in AI regulation, whereas here in the US, we haven't really touched it. So, it's gonna be interesting to see what comes out of that, if anything. Last piece of news. More AI is coming to you, but through the drive through. Alright. So a new Axios report shows that Places like Sweetgreen, Wendy's, Chipotle, IHOP, and others are looking into a new type of workforce, and that is AI robots in the drive through.

Jordan Wilson [00:03:45]:

So quick serve restaurants are, and chains are increasingly implementing AI technology in their operations with robot servers, bartenders, Kitchen robots and more being used to enhance efficiency and reduce labor costs. You know, the the whole AI in, the drive through thing is not necessarily new, but with and Generative AI. Now it can actually sound like a human and kind of be useful. So, let me know what you think. But that's not what we're here to talk about, robots and drive throughs, But maybe we will. I don't know. We're actually here to talk, future crafting and talk a little bit about the AI revolution, and I'm extremely excited for our guests. So Please, if you may, help me welcome to the show.

About Brian and his background

Jordan Wilson [00:04:25]:

Here we go. We have Brian Brian Sykes, AI Whisperer at AI Explorer. Brian, thank you so much for joining the show.

Brian Sykes [00:04:32]:

Oh, thank you so much. I'm I'm honored. Alright.

Jordan Wilson [00:04:35]:

Well, hey. Just quickly tell tell everyone a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Brian Sykes [00:04:40]:

Brian Sykes. I'm known As the AI whisperer for AI Explore, I started in September of last year doing a daily post on LinkedIn, and grew a following kinda rapidly, approaching 13,000 followers there. So and it's it's basically I'm trying to daily teach and to the creative professional and, had a lot of fun in the experience.

Jordan Wilson [00:05:04]:

Yeah. It's it's I agree. Like, I think LinkedIn, you know, and we're streaming live to LinkedIn right now. I think it's a great place to to to learn generative AI, and I've seen anyways. Right? Similarly, by Putting out a live stream on generative AI every single day. The AI community in general, Brian, and I'd I'd like your thoughts on this, it seems like a much more, welcoming and collaborative space, I think, than other industries, you know, you you know, marketing or advertising or even creative. I mean, have you noticed the same?

Brian Sykes [00:05:33]:

I've noticed the same, and it's really interesting because most of the early adopters, especially in the generative AI's, text image space have been creative professionals, who are kinda dabbling to figure out what this thing's all about, and there is an open sense of open sharing. They're kind of excited about, Hey. I figured this out, and, they want other people to kinda know. And you're right. There's not this protective nature for the most part amongst that community. It's kinda like, hey. This is cool. It's It reminds me of, like, I was telling you earlier, of those early days of learning Photoshop at the very, very beginning.

Brian Sykes [00:06:06]:

I'd set up in the computer labs with fellow students, And we'd be like, hey. Look at there's a thing called layers. And we were, you know, figuring this stuff out together. So this is sort of what it feels like all over again.

Generative AI amplifies creativity

Jordan Wilson [00:06:17]:

Oh, gosh. You know what? I was literally talking about Photoshop with my wife, I think, like, yesterday. And, you know, back, I don't know, 15, 18 years ago. Ad Yeah. Like like, even Photoshop was so hard to to to maneuver. And and now, you know, yeah, Adobe just announced all of these new gen AI, features. You know, Canva continues to push the game in that space. It seems like and and, Brian, I I like your take on this.

Jordan Wilson [00:06:44]:

It seems like what used to take, Even, like, small tasks, like, you know, designing something in Photoshop that used to sometime take many, many hours now takes A couple of seconds. Like, have you seen this yet personally?

Brian Sykes [00:06:58]:

Oh, yeah. I mean, the, you know, generative feel on Adobe Photoshop just revolutionized the game. You know, to have a 4 by 6 image and you suddenly need it to be at all, being able to just come in and expand the canvas and generative field, that's that's just amazing.

Jordan Wilson [00:07:14]:

Yeah. It's, yeah. The the creative space is changing so quickly, and and, you know, that kinda brings us brings us to the point of of today's show and, you know, talking, You know, future crafting, in the AI revolution. Let's maybe give people a little bit of background. Like, let's even talk about, like, what future crafting Even is. Right? And and and and also, Brian, like, take us through even your your your personal journey maybe, you know, or your professional journey, you know, As being someone that's that's worked in the field for multiple decades, how have you seen the creative industry, you know, kind of change? You know, specifically, You you know, the big jumps that we had over the last decade or 2, but then what is the the the pace now of of change in the creative field?

Brian Sykes [00:07:56]:

I I think this is kind of interesting. You know, I I just touched on the fact of starting when, you know, Adobe and desktop publishing was Literally entering the field, and I shared recently a video, that was a news broadcast from when it when Photoshop was first introduced, and then the the The verbiage that's used around it sounds exactly like the same things we're hearing today around generative AI. There's this this sense that desktop publishing was going to, You know, kick people out of the industry, that all these jobs are gonna be lost because of desktop publishing. It levels the playing field, and people who spent so much time and energy Mastering these skills were no longer valuable, but I think the reverse is true. You know, just because you can doesn't mean you will. And so this is the thing I keep finding is even though, Photoshop definitely made it a whole lot faster than having to go do photo editing, you know, in a dark room, We're able to advance the speed of things, which means we're able to be more, accessible to our creative abilities. Now with generative AI, it's really it's an amplifier to the creative professional. I was mentioning that I created a an generative AI manifesto, And one of my points is AI is amplifier.

Brian Sykes [00:09:10]:

I'm a read from my note here. It says our tools may be cutting edge, but they serve to enhance, not replace human creativity. The human element is still core to everything that we're about. You even though generative AI is going to fast track and help us to do some things Quicker than we have ever been able to do before. It's still the human element and human creativity that's gonna make a difference.

Jordan Wilson [00:09:32]:

Yeah. Brian, I do I do wanna follow-up, but but real quick, just as a reminder, if you're joining us live, thank you very much, doctor Harvey Castro saying good morning to the community. Alar saying, hey, gang. Cecilia just saying welcome to Brian. Jay saying, Brian, thanks for being here. Yeah, Brian. Thank you for being here. I'm excited for this.

Jordan Wilson [00:09:49]:

Hey. And Get your questions in live now. If you're listening on the podcast, make sure to check out the show notes. Subscribe to the daily newsletter. Come in and join these conversations. So, You know, Brian, one thing you talked about is, you know, mentioning you kind of wrote these, different points on your, Gen AI creative manifesto. And And and one thing one thing that you mentioned there that I I wanna dig into a little bit deeper, is is saying about how AI will enhance but not replace Human creativity because personally, I'm on the same page as you. But, it it there's there's a lot of people even in the creative industry right now, that don't necessarily feel the same way.

Does AI replace creatives?

Jordan Wilson [00:10:27]:

And they say, okay. This is kind of replacing, human creativity. You know, look at this, You know, this art project that, you know, I would, you you know, kind of birth from 0, and it might take, you know, days or weeks, and now you can do it With the click of a button. So how do you kind of respond to those people that say, no. No, Brian. AI is absolutely replacing human creativity.

Brian Sykes [00:10:49]:

Well, it goes back to my thought around generative AI is AI is still a tool. And how you leverage a tool, you know, it really is the makeup of human that's using it. In other words, you can take a skill saw and a table saw and sander and put it in the hands of anybody, and you're gonna get a result of some sort. But if you put it in the hand of a master, somebody who really understands the crap, they're gonna produce furniture. They're gonna produce things of quality. In the same way, generative AI in the The hands of a creative person who understands the terminology, understand the language, they understand design direction, they understand storytelling, They're gonna be amplified by the capabilities that generative AI offers them. In other words, they're not hampered by this idea of a tool that fast tracks and stuff. You know, the idea of Photoshop, what's interesting is, you know, Photoshop allows us to do things so much faster than you could in a darkroom.

Brian Sykes [00:11:41]:

That doesn't remove the fact that there's still a human hand involved. We can sometimes get lost in the idea. Well, all I did was put a prompt, But prompting is language to itself. You have to know how to speak effectively to get a result that you're after. You and I were talking recently here on, the idea of Chat gbt Where if you let chat gbt create the content for you, totally, it's gonna look like chat gbt generated the content. It does it loses the human element. So we have to engage with it as a human, and pull out our personality, pull out our our heart and our passion and the story, so that we're engaging in a creative way.

Jordan Wilson [00:12:18]:

Yeah. It's it it is such a good point. And, yeah, we were right before we went on, you know, I was kind of griping to Brian. You know? It's you can tell when people use, minimal effort on the front end in creating generative AI content because sometimes it does kind of leave a digital footprint of, oh, okay. Yeah. This this seems like there wasn't a lot of effort input into it. And, you know, some some great comments here from the audience. So, Michael saying, it may be the individuals that didn't previously know the creative tools that designers know Now have the ability to use generative AI as a tool instead of using as a professional.

Jordan Wilson [00:12:52]:

That's a great point, you know, Brian. And I'd like to get your take Because, you know, even as someone that's, you know, quote, unquote, I've been a creative for, I don't know, 15 to 20 years, you know, doing this professionally. But now, you know, someone with very little experience can come in. And if they, you know, if if they put a little bit of work into it, not even a ton, they can, dis, display and exhibit A level of creativity that used to take many, many years to refine. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for the creative field in general?

Brian Sykes [00:13:23]:

I think it can be a good thing. And the reason is because creativity is never something we wanna squash. You know? Creativity is problem solving. And I think the beauty of design as a whole is to be able to amplify that and get better results. You know, it's it's speed to result, But it also opens a lot more doors. Now you're right. There is an element of, hey. Suddenly, my jobs may be being taken away because, another person can do it And no longer need me.

Brian Sykes [00:13:49]:

You know, the nature of of life is everything constant is changed. In other words, nothing ever stays the same. If it did stay the same, then we're gonna kinda like, I wanna continue at this status and never have to worry about anything changing. Well, I didn't mention, but I ran an agency for 23 years From July of 99 until December of 2022. And over that time, I had to make multiple pivots in order to stay active and effective in the industry. You know, from, desktop publishing, that was where I started with things in in in marketing and branding and such, But then I added web development. I had to learn HTML, and I learned Flash, and, you know, I learned all these basic tools. At the same time, I was a teacher.

Brian Sykes [00:14:33]:

I was an Adobe certified instructor, so that's how I met Josh Cavalier from yesterday's talk. I was Teaching people how to use these tools, and it goes back to the same concept of, well, because you can do it with Greenweaver, we no longer had to hand code in HTML. Well, now we're Taking jobs from people who, you know, were hand coaters. That same argument gets repeated over and over ad nauseam where there's a place where we can complain about The technology that advances things and moves us to a new place, but we need to leverage these tools and then kinda go for the next Step. How do we now take this and then find a new way to solve new problems? Don't get stuck in your mindset thinking that, just because I can't continue doing it the way I've done it, I need to just quit or it needs to be you know, the field needs to be made level for me. You as a creative, especially with your skill set, are able to amplify the possibilities inside of these new technologies. Generative AI is amplified greatly Because of the knowledge that you bring to the table. Like I mentioned to you before, garbage in, garbage out.

Brian Sykes [00:15:35]:

If you have a person who doesn't really understand design and they can get in their prompt, Yeah. They can get some interesting visuals, but, again, the story that we're trying to do here is we're trying to convey a core idea in a way that's compelling and engaging and moves the audience. So that's kind of my take on it.

Jordan Wilson [00:15:51]:

I love it. And, you know, Brian, I also love that you took us through kind of Real quickly there, like the history of of some recent tech innovations. Yeah. You know? I even remember the same thing, you know, when When Dreamweaver came out and it it said, oh, you know, web design is is gone. Right? Like, this new Dreamweaver thing. And, you know, hey. By the way, how how are people using Dreamweaver. You know? Nothing nothing against it, but it's like that still is a thing and that still exists, and I'm and I'm not sure how.

Prompting AI as a creative

Jordan Wilson [00:16:19]:

You know, very yeah. A a very, very interesting, kind of comment here, you you know, from Brian. He said he a 100% agrees. You know, Gen AI is a tool. In the right hands, you can yield great results. In unhand in unskilled hands, not so much. But I do even Have a a a follow-up to that, and I wanted to to get your take on this, Brian. You know? So we did say that, you know, prompting, is a language in and of itself, you you know, kinda like what Woozy just just commented here.

Jordan Wilson [00:16:45]:

But, you know, one thing I've even started to notice, is maybe a deemphasized or a a deprioritized, you know, just less of a priority On the actual prompt. Right? Because if you're talking about, you know, creative gen AI tools that many professionals use such as, you know, mid journey or even like DALL E. So now we have DALL E 3, which is OpenAI's, AI image generator within, Chat GPT. But you can put a simple prompt Now in DALL E. And then DALL E will spit it out, in in 4 different use cases and change your prompt and expand upon it. Right? So we have that side of the coin. And then in mid journey, you you know, back when it was, you know, mid journey 4 point something, prompting really mattered. And I think now, you know, as we're at mid journey 5.2 and, You know, whether it's 5.3 or 6.0 or whatever is next, it seems like prompting is even becoming less and less important.

Jordan Wilson [00:17:36]:

So how do we even then find the balance Of of keeping that, yes, there is still creative input that goes into this when we can reap the benefits of the creative output.

Brian Sykes [00:17:46]:

I I I'm gonna go back to the idea of it's still the human driver. And, you know, when you look at MidJourney and you look at some of these other platforms, Yeah. You can get some really interesting results, but I want to be the director. I want to be driving this thing where I want it to go. Google introduced the, ImageGen, with the labs dot Google, which allows you to do a prompt Or, basically, I want a picture of, and then it creates a series of 4 images, and it has a variation of how it prompted to get the result. And it functions much the same way Google search does. You know? Like, if I type in, I'm trying to find a pizza joint near me or whatever, then it interprets that and then gives me results. Well, that's kind of the same way it's creating the images.

Brian Sykes [00:18:30]:

And so what's happening in that is you're releasing of the the results that you're getting by telling the search engine or you're telling the prompter, I kinda want something in this vein. You come up with something creative, and then you From those the best or what you like the best. Most professionals are not at the mercy of Something that just gives them something. They're looking for a specific look, a specific result, and so prompting becomes still at the front and center of that because We're trying to drive it to where we want it to go. Now I do think that as DALL E 3 with ChattiBT is fully integrated and you can have conversations, Then we're able to say, okay. It gives us a series of images, and we can say, I like what you've done here. Let's refine this and move it more in this direction. I think that's actually pretty cool because you're able to then still have the driver's seat engagement with it.

Brian Sykes [00:19:20]:

You don't have to have the right prompt to get the result that you're after. So, you know, I still think there's an a comp a conversation that must be had with the computer to direct it to get what you're after.

Jordan Wilson [00:19:32]:

Yeah. It's it's, You know, Brian, like, one thing when you were saying that that I thought of, you know, again, I've been, you know, designing websites and doing graphic design and and Creative content for, you know, 20 years now, and it seems like even now, I'm assuming more of the role of a Even when I'm the one creating with generative AI, it seems like I'm more in this role of kind of, like, art director or creative consultant Then the one actually doing the creative work. Is is that kind of the future of creative work is is you are stepping out of, in theory, You know, kind of like, pen to the paper, and you are more of the consultant or the the the art director, so to speak?

Brian Sykes [00:20:11]:

I think so. I mean, I think that's the nature of of quality design to begin with is we tend to, as creatives, wanna kinda put our stamp on things. And especially when you were young in the industry, the idea is, you know, I'm gonna make a mark, and here's how I'm gonna do it. It's gonna look this way. It's gonna feel this way. It's gonna express. So I can put this The portfolio is I'm a 100% responsible. But, you know, the nature of agencies to begin with is you have the guys on the bottom And, you know, no cut to them.

Brian Sykes [00:20:36]:

This is where we cut our teeth and we get figured figured things out. We learn the basic tools and things. But as you advance within a career in the design field, Then you're responsible for directing the people beneath you to create the results that's gonna address the the problem or the concern that the client has. So More and more, I think this is what's happening, is generative AI is gonna open the door for creative professionals to be able to engage this at a Earlier entry point. You know, they still have to have the knowledge to get the results that they're after much like you had to with any of the tools and the things of the past, But we're gonna become more and more directors, to refine the messaging that we're after. It still has the human element. That's still the core piece.

How creatives can put Gen AI to work

Jordan Wilson [00:21:19]:

Y'all, there is there is so much great knowledge being dropped. I just have to pause and say, make sure if you're not already subscribed to the letter, go to, to the newsletter, go to your everydayai.com. Sign up for that because today's newsletter is gonna be great because there's gonna be so much great, So so much great, just bullet pointing of all these insights, but, you know, I Brian, I kinda wanna get back to the beginning. And, you you know, I I kind of Started the episode with, you you know, hey. With with everything that's going on, in Gen AI, how can you actually you you know, how can creatives actually put Gen AI to work? What is your recommendation, you know, as as someone that's that that ran an agency for 2 decades? You know, how can you actually Put Gen AI to work because it seems like it's the never ending question.

Brian Sykes [00:22:04]:

Yeah. So I'm actually I launched something called AI Labs. It's underneath my AI Explorer, And it's a long term engagement with creative professionals where I'm gonna walk them through basically a year's worth of content development, And you're gonna see a lot of changes happen in this space, but what's amazing in this is what I'm doing is I'm trying to make generative AI a part of the creative workflow.

Jordan Wilson [00:22:25]:

I don't

Brian Sykes [00:22:25]:

know if you've read the book Atomic Habits. Excellent book, but the concept there, he dwells on multiple times is the idea of we need to integrate. If we wanna do something new, we need to integrate it into things that we're currently doing. So as a career professional, we can't just say, oh, mid journey. Cool. And go play with it and then figure out how to make it work. We need to integrate it to the daily task that we're engaging with, the same with ChatGPT and these others. And so we have to revolutionize the approach that we're taking in our creative workflows In order to get the results, where generative AI is playing a part.

Brian Sykes [00:22:56]:

So with the AI lab that I've launched, what I'm doing in that is we're working with creative professionals and working through a series of of projects. And I'm laying out the projects, and I'm pulling you outside of your normal mental mindset. And what the idea is, for example, the very first project. This one's fun. I'm doing the history of advertising, and so I start with 18 thirties, where we have the handbill and posters. And so the very first project is we have to create a handbill that's 6 by 9. We're we're gonna create a smartwatch. And so what would a smartwatch look like for the 18 thirties? And so it's not modern technology.

Brian Sykes [00:23:32]:

It's information based off of where we are, at that time frame. So What's funny then is it helps us to think outside of our box. So we're so used to the idea of creating a social media post. Okay. Well, we know what everybody else's social media post look like. We can use these tools. We have to get outside of our normal range of thinking and then figure out how to integrate these tools in this new way of engaging. That's what opens up the door and creates new possibilities.

Jordan Wilson [00:23:58]:

Yeah. It's it does seem like there's no shortage, of way to tap into generative AI, Especially as a creative, and and and maybe that's why it's difficult. Right? But but great great question here, from from Maybret, saying, what is your specific what is your favorite use case for creativity with AI?

Brian Sykes [00:24:17]:

One of the funniest things I think is being able to visualize ideas. For example, I did a a post a while back, a YouTube video, where I I went through the idea of what if I did a book review or a a book video. You know, the idea of here's a new book that's being released. I'm gonna visually tell part of the story to get people engaged, and it's almost like a movie trailer but about a book. Imagine that is a a concept of being able to sell a story line with visuals that you can create and you can animate, you can throw sound to, and you can kinda lay the groundwork. This to me is really exciting because instead of saying, here's a product and here's some fun fun thing I can do with MidJourney, Like, how do you actually integrate the creative possibilities of generative AI in, you know, unique ways? So that's that's what I find fun is everyday finding new ways to express that.

Avoiding AI bias in content creation

Jordan Wilson [00:25:11]:

You know, another another great, question here from, Cecilia, which I think sometimes we overlook. Right. Because we we we jump into these generative AI tools, and they can just create great things. But it's like, what went into them? So Cecilia's question is asking, how do you think that AI is being trained to be more inclusive and diverse so that it helps provide us options that help us overcome systematic implicit bias? Great question, Cecilia. What's what's your take on that, Brian?

Brian Sykes [00:25:37]:

Cecilia, that's a great question. I think the biggest challenge we run into is, you know, the original training models were based around Existing content. You know, the volume of information. For instance, I remember there was a complaint, about using the term royalty king, and Whatever. And then getting the results, and it was always, here's a white dude with a crown. And they're like, okay. This is this is not really showing a true inclusive and diverse presentation. Well, the reason is because most of the pictures we have in the world today of Kings is gonna be typically, you know, a white dude or And so the challenge with that then is how do we get the AI to think outside the box itself? We begin teaching it and saying, okay.

Brian Sykes [00:26:18]:

It doesn't have to be limited to When you use the term royalty, it does not have to be the existing image set that we're working from. Royalty can now have some new terminology. So It's part of the training model where we actually integrate with the the training itself and show it to think outside of itself, or in other words, Look outside of the realm of images that it's been trained upon.

Getting good AI outputs for content creation

Jordan Wilson [00:26:39]:

You know, and that's that that that actually leads me to another question. Right? Because Earlier, we talked about how, you know, garbage in, garbage out. Yep. How can creatives, maybe push the boundary a little bit And to to, you know, use these generative AI systems. So, yeah, whether we're talking like, you know, an AI image generator, like like Midjourney or DALL E, you know, Text inside chat GPT, maybe video inside runway because if you are, quote, unquote, lazy on the front end, if you do the bare minimum, Your your your output is is going to be, you know, pedestrian. So how can creatives even go through that process of using generative AI, Put in a little bit more to get something a little bit better.

Brian Sykes [00:27:21]:

I think that's a great question. So here's the thing that we we as creatives are so and Intuitive in what we do that we don't walk through the mental process of what we're doing. In other words, when you jump into Photoshop and you're gonna edit an image, You don't mentally go, okay. I need to, you know, open up this this panel and, you know, like, if you had somebody over your shoulder watching what you're doing and they said, okay. Don't don't look at with your computer. Walk me through the steps that you just took. We would mentally have to really do some, you know, some work To think about the processes that we took because it's so intuitive. It's like driving a car.

Brian Sykes [00:27:56]:

We don't even think about it anymore. So when you're engaging with chat gbt, and you're engaging with MidJourney and these other platforms. Now I gotta step back a little bit and say, okay. If I was explaining this to somebody sitting beside of me, How would I communicate it in a way where they understand the result that I'm going for and the means and the processes to take to get there? This is really the way you best engage with generative AI is you need to explain it to someone who's extremely smart, But not very intuitive and not very, you know, self driven. So we need to kinda guide the whole process. I think with Chat GVT, what's fun Is a lot of times I'll engage with, are you familiar with, say, the work of Simon Sinek? And it'll say, sure. Certainly. I'm aware of that.

Brian Sykes [00:28:42]:

And I'll say, okay. I like this book. Why? And I want you to take from that concept and help me write copy that relates to, you know, some topic. And so what it does is it has a point of reference, and And then it can drive the conversation around, you know, that that theming. And it'll say, oh, by the way, whenever we're working with Simon Sinek, He likes to start with why, and then he does how and what, and he asked these series of questions. You know? So and then it able it's able to kinda drive where we're going with things in a way that's and Intuitive, to me, but not so much the generative AI. I had to kinda get it there, with some information. So that's kind of the best way is It's utilizing your knowledge and then explaining it to the of AI.

Jordan Wilson [00:29:24]:

It's yeah. Reverse you know, kind of even reverse engineering. You know, your your your results or your intended results, I think, is is such a good, you know, piece of advice there. And and even, you know, my quick take on it is, You know, if you are using a Gen AI system, it's it's it's not supposed to be 1 input, 1 output. You're supposed to go back and forth. You're supposed to have A creative conversation, you know, kinda like I you know, being being the art director. Right? Great, you know, you know, great great comments from, Douglas here as as we, wrap up the show here, but saying, I just used DALL E 3 to create a picture and then Canva to expand the picture for a project for my son's school project turned out great.

Does AI level the creative playing field?

Brian, is are we at the point now? And and maybe given your background working in creative fields, are we at the point now where it's it's almost like A level playing field where, you you know, I think, you know, even 5 years ago, 10 years ago, people really had to to put the hours in, quote, unquote, To, you know, kind of meet that minimum threshold of, you you know, something that the the general population could look at as something and be like, oh, this is creative work.

Jordan Wilson [00:30:33]:

Is that down to about 0 now?

Brian Sykes [00:30:37]:

That's a great question. I think you know, I I don't say that it's Level playing field in the sense that it's even for everybody because you still have the human with their knowledge set that's gonna drive this stuff. So, yeah, the the potential's there. It's sorta like, you know, I could say everybody has access to Adobe Photoshop that can spend the money to buy a copy, So the field's level for Photoshop. Well, that's not quite true because you still have to get in and learn how to use the tool. And I've been using it since the very beginning, and there's still new things I learn Every time they, you know, update with some new thing. So what's funny is when it comes to generative AI, yeah, the potential is there for it to be a level field, But you still have to put in the work. You still have to, you know, figure out how to engage with it effectively.

Brian Sykes [00:31:21]:

That's the reason there's people like yourself and myself and Josh Cavalier and others who are with this stuff and saying, okay. We need to look at this more productively and think how can we get the best results from it. So, yeah, the potential's there for it to be level, but that's not the way most things really work. It still requires the human element and the human engagement.

Brian's final advice

Jordan Wilson [00:31:42]:

Wow. You know, we we covered literally so much, but, Brian, just just as our our final closing thought here, you know, let's say someone now is tuned in. And, what's what is that one parting piece of advice that you can give to people to say like, hey. When you're looking at the future of creativity, here is the one thing that you should be doing to make sure that you're still practicing that creativity, And you're still getting the most out of generative AI systems, in the future.

Brian Sykes [00:32:14]:

That that's good. So, every single day since September 1st last I've shared a how to on generative AI, on my LinkedIn profile. Go there. You've got Almost, let's see, 380 some days now, of content that you can go through. Additionally, the the content keeps coming every single day. Now the best way to utilize it is to jump in and start doing. Don't just kinda read it and save it and put it somewhere else. You know, and then one thing I do So this is, you know, my book.

Brian Sykes [00:32:45]:

I I wrote AI four Prop Fundamentals, but what I've done at the front of these books is I have a breakdown of how I approach Learning as to get the most from the book, read it, do it, share it, explain it. And the reason is because as we take the time to teach other people what we're doing. It opens up the door for other people to learn how to do these things, but also the process of teaching is Just kind of this almost selfish endeavor because it helps us learn it even better. So as you utilize these things and engage with them, share it, put it out there. It's gonna help grow your your reach And your capabilities, but it's also gonna amplify the the possibilities of generative AI. The more you use it, the more possibilities you'll see, and just open up new doors for you.

Jordan Wilson [00:33:29]:

Love it. You know? Read, do, share, explain. Such great great advice, for people looking to get the most, out of everything here. So, Brian, thank you again for joining the Everyday AI Show. We appreciate your time and your insights.

Brian Sykes [00:33:43]:

Thank you so much.

Jordan Wilson [00:33:43]:

Alright. And, hey, as a reminder, Just go to your everyday AI .com. Sign up for that free daily newsletter. We're gonna be providing a lot of different resources that Brian talked about in that newsletter. So thank you for joining us, and we hope and back for another episode of

Brian Sykes [00:33:57]:

everyday AI.

Jordan Wilson [00:33:58]:

Thanks y'all. Thanks.