In which the author answers a few questions you may have about AI art.
Question #1: Can AI art generators create good art for children’s books?
Maybe. This would take some doing and some skill, but I think it’s possible now. And I’m sure in the future it will get to the point of excellence. However, some ethical questions still need to be answered before you invest serious money. If you’re a picture-book writer, I suggest you start investigating AI illustrations now. The book below was generated with AI illustrations. You can learn more about it and the controversy of plagiarism HERE,
Question #2: Can AI art generators create a bumble bee with chicken legs?
No. Well, at least the three I tried couldn’t. See below for Fotor’s image.
And here’s try #1 from DALL-E 2.
Here’s DALL-E 2’s second try with a better description.
So it seems I might be able to eventually get a bee with the legs of a chicken, but it may take several tries.
Question #3: What’s the future of AI generated art?
Bright. It’s here to stay. It’s fast and affordable. I think of it like processed food. Minute Maid orange juice took the market by storm. Then processed food exploded. We now have Uncrustables, prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (as if making a PB&J is difficult, but to each his or her own). But we also have delicious Trader Joe’s orange chicken. This time next year, I can almost guarantee you will have purchased something with AI generated art. It’s already flooding blog sites. If you’re a blogger, read more HERE.
Marianne Hering was a founding editor of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine. Since then she’s been writing for children and editing Christian books for adults. Find out more about the Imagination Station book series that has sold more than 1 million copies at MarianneHering.com. She recently accepted a job at David C Cook as a writer/editor. To schedule a free 30-minute children’s book coaching call, email HeLovesMeBooks@gmail.com. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
I’m on the fence about AI. I can see the benefits for bloggers in creating images or infographics or enhancing fonts and headers, but as a children’s writer and up-and-coming illustrator, I worry it can be abused. Would I use it myself? Probably not at this time since I’m trying to be my own creative outlet for the projects I’m working on.
Thanks for introducing us to the world of AI. I’m not sure I’m there yet…but appreciate the view into possibilities.
Sooo interesting! Thanks for explaining it all!
Maybe for some graphic novels or nonfiction books with simple graphic needs, but cutting out true artistry goes against the grain and seems like computer-generated writing, which I wouldn’t want to use as a shortcut to real writing craft.
Thank you for sharing your view on this, Marianne. It was good to hear an editor’s point of view.
I have been investigating the pros and cons of AI for a few months on different levels, wondering how it’s going to affect the future of writers, illustrators, and marketing. It is exciting, but frightening at the same time. With the AI platforms I’ve played with so far, I’ve discovered that they don’t know how to write a good story and don’t seem to know proper formulas for kids’ books (which I was relieved to discover), but they can give you an outline or synopsis, and even additional ideas or information that you may want to include in your story. But AI will continue to improve.
AI illustration is amazing. Even CANVA has this option … just go into a design, click “apps”, and click “text to image” to try it out. You only get 25 tries a day because it’s such a draw on their server. Give it a whirl. Scary, but fun to play with.
I am unsure where writers and illustrators fit into the future of AI. It kind of feels like cheating to use it. But if we don’t use it, will we miss out on opportunities? How do we stay authentic and convince others that our work is authentic? And will we lose our individualized creative appeal for a less expensive AI version of work?
Good points, Cindy.