The creative industry has been hit by the rise of AI tools, making it easy to sample, mix and remix the work of designers and writers from across the entire web. The good news is that it has never been easier to get the first draft of an article thanks to Chat GPT or make a poster concept for your band using Midjourney and a couple of pictures of yourself. The not-so-good news is that the outcome generated came from work initially created by humans who spent hours exploring colour combinations, perfecting their crafts, and bringing to us what we call good design. We could almost say, with a touch of irony
"AI’s best render will be as good as humanity’s best creation"
Suppose Ai is all about sampling and remixing what is already existing. Shouldn’t there be a way for us digital consumers to trace back the original creation from which this work is being sampled? In this version of the world where outputting nice visuals is easy, can the real value come from the thinking and the process behind it? Could originality become the rarity that companies and individuals be ready to pay for?
When we look at the luxury industry, on the watch-making side, customer excitement is driven by two key aspects that we can easily see cross over to the digital side of things.
The reasoning behind the finest details. The placement of a date window at the 12 instead of the 6, the decision to downsize a case from 42mm to 39mm. These watches could have been made by an Ai, but there would hardly be such a level of intentionality. These details lead us as humans to share, on an emotional level, the creator’s belief.
The Cartier Santos Dumont is still the most iconic piece in watch-making history because it was the first designed wristwatch. After more than a century, its design is still labelled as timeless, not necessarily because of its proportions and movement but because of its history. Suppose history and the process are making the price tag becomes heavier; in that case, this might be a sign that to stay relevant, humans will need to lean into their strength of connecting design decisions with emotion to create true meaning and add the little “je ne sais quoi” that leaves their peers speechless of admiration.
But we’re only halfway there. How can we identify an original piece in the sea of remixed work? After all, as Ai tools become more and more advanced, regulation will need to be put in place as the line between inspiration and plagiarism becomes blurrier.
Creating an international stamp of identification could be one of the answers. Certified human made is a tag that informs on the level of originality of a piece of work such as copy, photography, or video. Its percentage would indicate to which level a creative piece has been sampled using an Ai tool by displaying the portion of human input. This can bring three benefits to the conversation.
Just like the authentication of a painting, art, slogans, and mission statements will need to one day be checked using Ai detection tools. Let viewers, customers, or clients know what they are buying and choose whether they would rather have a human touch. Take the example of a political campaign with a catchy slogan coming from ChatGPT; this would significantly impact the image that potential voters have of the candidate or party.
There will be, cases where an Ai render, will do the job perfectly. But just like in advertising, it is a right to know the origin of what we’re consuming to make the most informed decision.
"This can be the digital adaptation of diet choices, allowing users to only view human-made content."
Imagine a billboard campaign for an eco-friendly clothing line with the tag “97% Certified human-made”. This could be the sign that this brand truly believes in the good humans can bring to our planet and others. How would that make us feel? Potentially more connected to this brand who live, breathe, and think as we do?
After all, in the fashion industry, handmade pieces are usually the most exclusive pieces featuring the highest price and the ones that customers feel the most attached to. Knowing that someone on the other side of the product designed it to solve a problem encountered as humans, can create an extra connection that can make or break a sale.
Finally, let us not forget that Ai is here to stay, this idea isn’t a way to rebel against it but instead to allow us to live with it. As Ai tools are becoming more and more advanced, regulation will need to be put in place as the line between inspiration and plagiarism becomes blurrier. Thankfully, detecting tools have started to emerge.
Let us take it a step further with the ability to give a certificate percentage and label the source from which the work is sampled, giving credit to the original piece of work. And yes, there could be a place for NFTs in that conversation too. As we’ve mentioned, the best Ai generation will be as good as the best human creation. Therefore let us make sure that this limit keeps getting pushed so that, in turn, we get inspired by increasingly better Ai remixes and continue this loop process of creation.
The long hours of mastering complex software might have been cut so that we could spend more time experiencing, thinking, and connecting better. As humans, we can take pride in the hours spent perfecting our craft or glorifying the imperfections of the process that make our work so unique. However, we must accept that more than the outcome, the value of this work will come from the meaning that we’ll infuse into it and how well we can communicate it through the craft.
