A modern-day genie.
A modern-day genie.
“The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.” ~ Robin Sharma
“And so is A.I.” ~ Me
I went to university to continue my studies in art, with the idea of becoming a working painter. And I eventually became skilled at stylistically rendering what was placed in front of me (here’s an example of one of my portraits in oils).
My creative problem was that I had a desire to paint spontaneously, from my imagination. And for some strange reason, which has only recently become clear, I simply could not do it.
It turns out that I have a rare and mysterious neurological condition called aphantasia. Aphantasia is the inability to visualize images voluntarily in one’s head, whether based on real experiences or not. For example, I am unable to bring an image to mind of family members, and counting sheep in order to fall asleep is out of the question. And so I believed I was destined to either paint from reality (including photographs ) or to quit.
And then a wonderful servant called A.I. appeared from the genie lamp of technology.
With programs like Dall-E 2, I can now describe what I would like to see and it will generate images based on various prompts. I can then stylistically render a painting from one or more of those imagined images. I can also use A.I. to stimulate ideas for other creative impulses, like writing and design. “What’s that? Writer’s block? I’ll just type a few words into ChatGPT.”
Whether you find A.I exhilarating, terrifying, neither or both, it is a wonderful servant and is, therefore, here to stay. As William Gibson pointed out, “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.” For example, Spotify recently released an A.I.-powered DJ that knows your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you. Programmers are experimenting with ChatGPT’s ability to write code.
Marketers are using A.I. to create ads and promotional scripts. Educators are creating lesson plans and teaching materials. Physicians have begun experimenting with ChatGPT’s ability to diagnose patients. A Sci-fi magazine had to halt submissions after receiving too much AI-generated fiction. And AI can now interpret the different emotions of pig noises.
So what?
So no matter what you do in your personal or professional life, start imagining ways that A.I. can serve you and your work. Rub the lamp and let your mind run wild. The genie awaits your many wishes. 🧞♂️
Happy March!
Note: If you’re a nerd and you’re interested in how applications like ChatGPT actually work, check out this fascinating article by Stephen Wolfram.
☘️ Random information for the month of March
* The U.S. Copyright Office has ruled that illustrations created with an AI program are not protected by copyright law.
* Venice’s famous canals are running dry due to low tides and lack of rainfall.
* Bugatti sold its last purely gas-powered car for $10.7 million, setting a world auction record for a new car.
*Jars of beach sand said to be from the exact spot Tom Brady filmed his retirement video are being auctioned online, with bidding for one nearly reaching six figures.
* A 2007, first-generation iPhone, which is still sealed in its box, sold at auction for $63,356.40 – more than 100 times its original price.
* The top-rated restaurant in Montreal was a fake listing. Le Nouveau Duluth is nonexistent; its tapas, illusory.
* Mattel has announced plans to relaunch the Barney franchise with a new slate of content as well as toys and merchandise.
* Fingerprints are produced during fetal development by waves of tiny ridges that form on the fingertip, spread and then collide with each other — similar to the process that gives a zebra its stripes, or a cheetah its spots.
* Louis Vuitton has chosen Grammy-winning musician Pharrell Williams as its menswear creative director.
* YouTube has become the world’s nanny. Kids’ channels are highest earners on YouTube, even as parents continue to debate the limits of screen time for children.
* A personalised car number plate featuring the lucky letter “R” has fetched more than HK$25 million (US$3.18 million) at a government auction.
* A Harley-Davidson motorcycle dating from 1908 sold for $935,000, making it the most expensive bike ever sold at an auction.
* Getty Images sued the maker of text-to-image AI platform Stable Diffusion, alleging it trained its program on 12 million Getty stock photos without permission or compensation.
* The Romanian equivalent of the idiom “apples and oranges” is “like grandmothers and machine guns.”
* A large majority of U.K. companies participating in a test of a four-day workweek said they would stick with it after logging sharp drops in worker turnover and absenteeism while largely maintaining productivity during the six-month study.
* Uruguay is the strongest democracy in the Americas. The South American nation topped Canada and the US in an annual ranking of the world’s most, and least, democratic countries.
* Pablo Neruda may have been poisoned. Fifty years after his death, forensic experts could have evidence of a murderous plot against the poet.
* The Codex Sassoon, the oldest surviving and most complete Hebrew Bible is set to be auctioned off in May for an estimated $30M to $50M, according to Sotheby’s.
* Scientists finally found out what a “Monkey Mermaid” mummy really is.
* According to Gallup, between 81% and 90% of U.S. adults are either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their family life, current housing, education, job, community and personal health.
👁 Take a look
This magnificent resting rhino tops the best travel photos of the year.
It reminds me of this wonderful observation from G. K. Chesterton:
“It is one thing to describe an interview with a gorgon or a griffin, a creature who does not exist. It is another thing to discover that the rhinoceros does exist and then take pleasure in the fact that he looks as if he didn’t.”
🤔 Think about this
“A genius is the one most like himself.” ~ Thelonious Monk
“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” ~ Paulo Coelho
☝️ And don’t forget
I’d love to hear from you. (I read all messages and try to respond.) Reach out with any news, questions or comments, or simply to say hi: hello@tomasacker.com (or use the contact form).
Until next time, get some sleep!
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