Mr Branding: The Growing Popularity of AI Image Generation: How Different Generations Are Learning to Prompt Creatively

Sunday, November 24, 2024

The Growing Popularity of AI Image Generation: How Different Generations Are Learning to Prompt Creatively

Today AI is not only a marginal but an essential attribute of mainstream creativity. What was once just a dream of future computers creating art or fixing visuals has now become the standard utility for millions. The research reveals nuances on how people of various ages and expertise create images using Adobe Express and their verbal interactions with the tools.

The many described cases are illustrative of how AI is infiltrating and transforming creativity in personal and organizational contexts. And spoiler alert: Gen Z is at the forefront of it but they are not alone —millennials, Gen X, baby boomers, and even the silent generation are not immune to this shift either.

Beginning on more of a dark tone, 80% of participants admitted to using AI in generating images. Consider that for a second: From casually creating a post on social media, sketching a new design, or even just playing around with it for fun, AI has quickly emerged as an essential part of creativity. It’s an impressive adoption of a technology that felt like science fiction not too long ago. And who all are leading the charge? Millennials and Gen Z.

In the survey among the participants of Gen Z, 85% reported that they have used AI in creating images and fall under the category of ‘early adopters’. Well, it only seems logical—Gen Z has been using smartphones, social media, and apps since they were kids, enabling them to produce pro-like content with a couple of swipes. To them, using AI is not scary; it is just another tool in their arsenal to help express their creativity.

Now for the interesting part: the use of AI itself is not in question but rather, it's how it’s being used. Those who have volumes of knowledge and experience with using AI—known as prompters —are good at inputting precise information to yield their intended outcome. These power users provide almost 20 words in each prompt, incorporating adjectives like ‘vibrant’, ‘ethereal’, and ‘serene,’ in an attempt to directly point the AI in the right direction.

However, the word ‘please’ isn’t common, occurring in only 4% of the prompts. Let’s focus on that statistic for a second. Is it strange to fixate on the idea a majority of users aren’t providing AI with the same respect and courtesies we’d extend to our peers? I mean, while it is only technology, a “thank you” wouldn’t hurt, right?? Still, it’s pretty amusing to wonder about how AI would feel if people started being all polite and proper in their communications out of the blue.

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An interesting discovery made during the course of the research was the way people learned how to utilize AI – 68% said they simply taught themselves– no workshops or classes, only learning through trial-and-error and occasionally referring to Google. Only 5% acknowledge that they learned through formal education, which underscores how more traditional ways of learning have not adapted to this technology at all.

This only proves how truly available AI tools are in the market today. Don’t think that you have to be a computer savant to make something extraordinary – iconic things no longer require great technical proficiency to produce, and this democratization is part of their appeal. This does, however, raise an important question: are our schools and universities preparing our kids for a world where AI literacy will probably be as crucial as knowing how to properly write an email?

Individuals aren’t the only ones embracing AI; entire industries have started integrating this technology into their routine working process. Previously, in Marketing, people spent countless hours and money on creating stunning advertisements and social media promotional materials. With the realization that AI tools allow these departments to produce materials of professional quality in a matter of minutes and at a fraction of the costs, they have quickly become an industry standard.

The same thing is happening in the gaming and entertainment sectors; AI contributes significantly in designing realistic environments that mimic the detailed, interactive, and dynamic aspects of the physical world. Similarly, teachers and scholars are now using AI to generate images and condense information in order to illustrate trends, explain phenomena in science, and simplify complex concepts for their students.

The potential applications of AI are numerous, and improvement in productivity cannot be understated. But at the same time, these new advancements bring about a new set of issues.

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An important one that can’t be overlooked is ethics. Every advancement in tools related to art intelligence creates controversies in terms of ownership and rights. Suppose, for instance, someone with an AI tool generates an image using their own input. Who retains ownership of this image – the user, the maker of the AI, or nobody at all? Another question comes to mind: What about AI-generated fake news, or deepfakes? These are very challenging issues with no straightforward answers—at least for the time being. On top of that, then there's the issue of transparency. If you’ve spent a lot of time on Instagram, you may have scrolled past a beautiful illustration and wondered - was this artwork created by an artist or artificial intelligence? Does it really matter? Well, it depends. To some, it can mean providing a proper attribution, while to others it may be about managing expectations of what is real as opposed to computer-generated.

What’s next from here? By the look of things, creatives simply have no other option but to learn how to incorporate AI into their practice. Specific skills like navigating the art of prompting, finding the latest tools, and harnessing AI responsibly are likely to distinguish future thriving creatives from the ones struggling. For businesses, the key seems to be in finding ways to implement AI in business processes while keeping customer emotion in mind. While AI is capable of increasing productivity while cutting costs, it lacks the creativity that is sparked from a personal experience or human emotions.

The companies most likely to find a formula that strikes that ideal balance are the ones that will define the future. The biggest takeaway from the Adobe Express study is clear: AI is not going anywhere. It’s a phenomenon making waves in the creative industry, and it’s still barely begun. But with Gen Z embracing and honing these tools to make ways in this futuristic creative landscape, AI is redefining the ways we engage with visual media.

It’s more than the tools, but what can they enable us to build? There’s no requirement in experience; whether you are a professional designer, a business person, or an artist just starting, AI opens doors to infinite possibilities. Now it is up to us to study it, incorporate it and use it wisely.

And who knows? Maybe someday, we’ll all start remembering to say “please.”

Take a look at infographics below for more insights: