AI

I’ve been thinking about….

AI!

That is, Artificial Intelligence. Oh my! This newest of high technology is throwing our society for a loop. Some people say it is a tremendously helpful tool; others fear the negative impact on creative endeavors and …. thinking!

Yet here I am, experiencing the magic of AI with my amazing illustrator Jo Ann, who is the epitome of the Lifelong Learner. Jo Ann has used a range of technologies to produce book illustrations. When AI technology offered new ways to illustrate, Jo Ann jumped into the pool head first!

Our latest book, Welcome, Mac, to the Family! combines Adobe Photoshop and AI programs OpenArt and FreePik to create dynamic human characters — not cartoons — for the book. Jo Ann says, “This combination of programs is very powerful and innovative.” We have used family photos that Jo Ann then manipulates with AI prompts to produce facial expression and movements to convey the story. The results are stunning — as you can see in the images shared here:

What Jo Ann is doing is one-of-a-kind illustration. She has been looking throughout the book industry but has only seen AI used for cartoon illustrations – not characters that look like real people. As she said, “This is a true break through in illustrating that human characters can be created with AI.” As AI-image generated technology advances, new guidelines from the United States Copyright Office underscore the importance of human input and creativity.

The technology is developing at a rapid pace. What was not possible two months ago — like copying and pasting a face for continuity rather than creating the face each time — is now a simple click. Jo Ann says with AI there is a new learning curve about every two weeks.

However — and this speaks to the fears that AI will replace the human mind — AI generated images are only as good as the prompt that Jo Ann writes to tell AI what is needed. Jo Ann’s creative mind designs the scene, directs the characters’ motions and expressions, sets the tone of the illustration. AI makes it happen in relatively quick time, but the evocative images that appear on the page are from Jo Ann’s mind — and my vision.

I so love working with Jo Ann. She is such a talent and has such a brilliant mind. And she is such a true lifelong learner! She told me that she loves this project, has learned so much. “It is an adventure. A challenge. I embrace it!”

Welcome, Mac, to the Family will be published this year. More on this special story to come!