The impact of AI: framing the future

For the past 180 years, photography has been our window into the world, leaving an indelible mark on every aspect of our existence. 

It has transformed medicine, sports, scientific exploration – allowing us to see microscopic details of bodies for the first time, or freeze movement and analyse the aerodynamics of animal and human movement. It has given us a window into outer space, capturing the moon and galaxies far, far away. 

Photography reigns supreme in our collective consciousness – it defines the era we live in – the Photographic Era.

Moreover, it has revolutionised storytelling, marketing, news, surveillance, ideas about identity, and art. Photography reigns supreme in our collective consciousness – it defines the era we live in – the Photographic Era.

The history of photography has seen a remarkable metamorphosis; from unique analogue objects that froze moments on metal plates (a cumbersome and complex medium), to easily created, infinitely reproducible digital images that could merge with the vast distribution system of the internet. 

Though this change displaced a large set of ‘professionals’, it also created new practitioners, with new skills and an updated understanding of the potential of the medium. 

Idle Hands, by Irina Angles and Dr Formalyst, explores the interconnection between human creativity and the dexterity of hands, and its relevance in the age of AI.

Prior to this, the early years of photography (1840-1890) had seen painters and draftsmen displaced, while audacious photographers embarked on a global odyssey, capturing the enigmatic pyramids, untamed landscapes, ravages of war, and the beauty of nature. These images, destined for the collections of the curious, were the domain of those who fearlessly endeavored to document our world. Capturing the essence of reality required substantial investment in time and equipment.

Colour photography became an expressive language of its own, pushing aside the moody black and white images. enabling photographers to breathe vibrant hues and complex emotions into imagery.

Yet, change was inevitable. The invention of duo-tone printing, the advent of Kodak film rolls and Brownie cameras, and the rise of compact 35mm models heralded the first democratisation of the medium. The once-exclusive realm of professional photographers was abruptly usurped. As Kodak boldly proclaimed, 'You press the button, we do all the rest.' The era of the amateur had arrived, signaling the death knell of meticulous craftsmanship. A simple press of a button now sufficed. 

In the subsequent years, technological advancements continued to push the boundaries of photography. When colour photography burst onto the scene, again a group of artistic and professional photographers felt displaced. Black and white images had become the way ‘serious photography’ was practiced. But colour photography became an expressive language of its own, pushing aside the moody black and white images, enabling photographers to breathe vibrant hues and complex emotions into imagery and offering a broader mirror of everyday life.

Overpopulated Symphonies, by Evergreen Dazed (aka Alkan Avcıoğlu).

Then came our current digital moment – an era propelled by the internet and the proliferation of digital cameras and smartphones. Photography experienced yet another revolution and displacement of lens professionals, democratising the art form to an unprecedented degree. 

We could argue, that everything has been photographed. We are now in a perpetual state of digital photographic diarrhoea. 

Millions of images are now being produced and shared daily, creating the biggest image bank humanity has ever witnessed. We could argue, that everything has been photographed. We are now in a perpetual state of digital photographic diarrhoea. 

The transformative force of AI challenges our notions of authorship and creativity. 

As technological advancements surged forward, the possibilites for image manipulation expanded exponentially. Image editing software, such as Photoshop, allowed photographers and artists to transcend the limitations of reality; to create new moments and worlds. This development was the beginning of what some call the era of 'Post Photography’. 

Above and main image by Simon Raion.

It suddenly seemed that there was no need to take new photographs. You could simple use pre existing materials to créate new images that portray the world as we have never seen it before. In comes AI and image models.

The transformative force of AI challenges our notions of authorship and creativity. We now find ourselves in a fascinating era where AI algorithms analyse colossal troves of photographs and visual data, learn from patterns, and generate new images based on their training (sounds a lot like what people did when they discovered Photoshop!). 

This convergence of photography and AI art has birthed a new breed of artists and researchers.

This convergence of photography and AI art has birthed a new breed of artists and researchers, shattering conventional thinking and offering fresh perspectives that blend spontaneity with mechanical intellect. 

The democratisation of photography, coupled with the ascent of AI, presents a plethora of challenges and opportunities that necessitate critical introspection of the realms of art and professional photography. We need spaces to confront different viewpoints about how this technology will impact visual mediums, as photography once did. 

Photography's influence has been profound, but now AI seems to be taking its place. 

From the series Cognitive Behavior by Alice Gordon.

AI is being trained on centuries of images created for art and illustration. Many of those images are photographs or digitised versions of other art forms. Once the balance of ‘real or human-made’ images is lesser than that of AI-generated images, something might change forever. 

The Photographic Era will be over and we could possibly see the rise of standardised and generic visual representations of our world based on algorithms and visual learning models. 

The way we see our world might become based on a set of parameters and algorithmic understandings of past representations – and less on what we actually observe in front of us. The Photographic Era will be over and we could possibly see the rise of standardised and generic visual representations of our world based on algorithms and visual learning models. 

What will that look like? Let’s see… I think we are only a few years away from it.