p.1 #1 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
..... including falsifying honest images and aiding scammers in committing fraud.
Recently a few people claimed some of my photos were AI generated, as well as those from others. They were not, and I will surmise those people made those claims because they have never seen such sights in the real world. At the same time there are thousands (or millions) of people viewing images completely created by AI and believing they are real.
AI fake images will be used more and more by scammers. Instead of some scammer in Africa or other country phoning some elderly person claiming to be their child or grandchild in an AI replicated voice asking for money, they will now also include an AI video that looks just like that relative. Of course they can do that now, and will do it even more in the future.
Some of you may have seen a video promoting a toy robotic puppy named Wuffy that is supposedly run by AI. They probably have taken down most of the fake videos by now, but when I watched those scammer videos, the puppy looked and acted like a real puppy dog. No such an AI dog as that exists. Many people fell for the scammer ads and ended up with a cheaply made product that neither looked or could do what that AI video puppy was capable of doing.
Reviews from many that were scammed by the fake AI can be seen here:
It is a shame that none of us will really be able tell the difference between 'real photos' and AI photos.
Just like the Internet was supposed to be the greatest way to share truth around the world instantly, and has ended up also being the greatest asset for criminals and propaganda, so it will happen with Artificial Intelligence. Combine both the Internet and AI together and you have one of the most dangerous technological weapons of all time.
Just wait and see how both will disrupt and skew future elections. JMO
p.1 #2 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
Agree with you Tony.
Sadly AI IMO is a predator and will continue to destroy human jobs, creativity and more.
What is ‘real’ anymore needs to be challenged to be sure, a very deceptive invasion with AI.
Yes its abilities are amazing at times but I don’t see it as long term for the good of us all?
Karl😎
p.1 #3 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
Tony, my immediate thoughts on this
- this is just the human nature, people already believe in all sorts of unthinkable and unbelievable things without any AI help. Better education and life experience may help to maintain some sense of sanity.
- what is "reality" anyways? WYSIWYG, but we don't see the world equally.
- my joy of photography is 100% personal, from handling camera gear, taking pictures, and processing these to jpegs. Out of curiosity and to get to know people on FM (as pictures usually reveal something personal) I do look at the pictures from others but this is exceptionally rare that I should see a picture that would retain my glance for longer than a few seconds. If someone should post an AI-assisted/created image that would keep me looking for longer than 1 min, I wouldn't mind seeing that.
-last, I do share your concerns about the increased sofistication of the criminal activity assisted by AI.
p.1 #4 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
I read an article that said over 30% of social media posts are AI generated specifically to create division between groups — and the kicker, without any regard for truth or honesty. Most of this is political garbage, but regardless it works as intended. Welcome to today’s world.
p.1 #5 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
I agree with all the thoughts/concerns shared above.
As a retired teacher I'm especially concerned with the use of AI by students to avoid reading/thinking/integrating knowledge and skill development. Too easy to cheat now, and most teens would rather be hanging with friends or playing on their phone. We have been trying to educate students on how to find reliable info on the web, now it will be much harder for all of us.
At the same time I am very happy to use the AI tools in Photoshop to delete distractions from my photos, or apply the amazing denoise to my high ISO shots. I've also played around with song creation to add some music to my videos and have been amazed at the quality.
I won't have much use of the nano banana AI creation tools beyond fun like this shot, but my mother got a big laugh out of the invasive French squirrel I found in my backyard recently (she knew it was a trick).
p.1 #6 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
ruthenium wrote:
Tony, my immediate thoughts on this
- this is just the human nature, people already believe in all sorts of unthinkable and unbelievable things without any AI help.
I totally agree this is a matter of human nature and not specifically the fault of technology. It is how the technology is being used nefariously. It is this aspect of human nature that is the core resaon for all of humanity's problems.
AI image generation/manipulation has positive consequences and negative consequences. It is up to each user of the technology how they intend to use it.
p.1 #13 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
Loss of interest.
When I looked deeply into AI and discovered what it is capable of doing, the image quality some emerging platforms are capable of, and where all of this is headed, I lost much of the interest I had in photography.
The world is busy oohing and ahhing over perfected images, of places and things that either don't exist or don't exist as they are shown. With tens of billions of these produced each year, adding more and less perfect pretty pictures to the pile seems pointless. AI generated images will only become more perfect, the quantities will only grow, and people will only be more impressed by them.
Adding more and less perfect images to the pile seems pointless in this environment. I still find it worthwhile to hike, explore, and experience the outdoors. I still take pictures, but only to keep for myself as souvenirs. I still put them on my old website because it's easy, cheap, and easily accessible. I don't care if anyone else sees them. To some extent I continue doing this out of habit. I've always done it and have all of the equipment, so why not? If I was younger I'd only be collecting souvenirs with my phone.
I wonder if people will become so accustomed to and accepting of AI generated images of nature, that they won't know, and/or will care less about, the deterioration of the real thing.
p.1 #15 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
If the goal of viewing photos online is to learn from them or to appreciate others photos, then I think it all comes back to the credibility of the site. I no longer look at images, or really anything on social media sites. However I do frequently visit Nature Photographers Network and the personal websites of photographers that I like, because I have trust in their integrity.
p.1 #16 · The negative effects AI is having on traditional photography .....
Take, view, enjoy, and/or hate whatever photos you like. Just ignore any preacher boy that gives his two-cent opinion on what real photography is, or how to lead your own life.
