How I Use AI

Get ahead of the game. That’s what every writer (and agency) needs to be doing now. As a member of VisionPoint’s AI Task Force, I demoed countless Artificial Intelligence writing tools (Jasper, WriteSonic, Copy.AI, etc). I read multiple blogs (gotta follow “One Useful Thing” by Ethan Mollick). And I’ve been using A.I. on a daily basis for almost a year now.

Here’s the thing: AI for copywriting keeps shifting. It’s elusive. Evolving.

Take Bing. The former laughing stock of search engines suddenly became my go-to AI tool for its ability to search the internet for my client, and then to apply a writing style, say Anthony Bourdain or the original Volkswagen ads from the 60s. It was generating mind-blowing copy. But then over night, Microsoft shut my styling hack down.

One day your go-to prompt works. The next, fuhgeddaboudit. So, you gotta be nimble. Always looking for the new angle. The next prompt. Always keeping one step ahead of the algo or legal.

As for my take on the paid services like Jasper: Chunk ‘em. The paid version of ChatGPT works just as well.

Today, I use either ChatGPT or Bing to more quickly write landing pages, emails, and longer copy. I use AI for naming. I do NOT use A.I. to write creative headlines (even character counts rarely work). As for brainstorming, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I still rely on a blank sheet of paper and a PaperMate pen. Black. Ultra thick tip. ChatGPT becomes a partner in the room. Together we brainstorm. But I still trust my superpowers more than the robot’s. For now, at least…

Image generated using Stable Diffusion XL

A.I. CREATIVITY

• • Machine Learning: Are Designers Even Needed Anymore?
  • “How to Use AI to Generate Creative Ideas,” by Ethan Mollick, fastcompany.com (thinking about ChatGP3/using language to generate ideas)
  • Helen Armstrong: Machine Learning Has Already Transformed the Design Profession. How Do We Use It Ethically?
  • Making AI Art Responsibly, also on issue.com, by Lia Coleman in collaboration with the Partnership on AI
  • Matt Jones interview
  • “The Danger of AI is Weirder Than You Think,” by Janelle Shane
  • Janelle Shane and Helena Sarin
  • Ai Weirdness: Interview with a Squirrel
  • Jon Yablonski, AI in Design
  • Andreas Refsgaard
  • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, How Computers are Learning to Be Creative , TED, 2016.
  • Janelle Shane’s book: You Look Like a Thing and I Love You.
  • AI Writing Code
  • Arthur I. Miller, The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity, MIT Press, 2019.

A.I. TOOLS

• Great list: AI Generative Art Tools
• Great newsletter of tools: AI Art Weekly Newsletter
• Dalle-mini/Craiyoni and Imagen, ChatGPT (students will need to sign up), Stable Diffusion, Midjourney (via Discord)
• ArtbreederandRunwayML (train your own datasets)
• Google Teachable Machine
• Wekinator
• CSS Code Generators
• A.I. Figma plugins: automator.design/

INTRO TO A.I.

• Great, friendly introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Useful for engaging students of all levels: The People’s Guide to A.I. (Zine/Workbook. Available for purchase or free download)
• John Maeda’s Design in Tech Report 2023
• Helen Armstrong, Big Data, Big Design: Why Designers Should Care about Artificial Intelligence (Princeton Architectural Press: 2021) Sample of Conclusion
• Caroline Sinders Are.na list of Generative A.I. Resources.
• John Maeda’s short videos on A.I. (The videos in the series begin with Design and Artificial Intelligence:)

A.I. PODCASTS

• In Machines We Trust, a podcast about the automation of everything
• Practical A.I., making artificial intelligence practical, productive, and accessible to everyone.
• Flash Forward, a podcast about possible and not so possible futures
• The World as You’ll Know It
• Co-existing with A.I., a podcast discussing how AI will affect the world and what we can do to make the best of it.
• Tech Won’t Save Us with Paris Marx
• Coexisting with AI, Nassir Al-Khishman

A.I. FILMS

• Frontline: In the Age of AI (documentary on PBS)
• iHuman film (view on Vimeo, etc.)
• The Great Hack (on Netflix)
• The Social Dilemma (on Netflix)
• Coded Bias (on Netflix)