Like many creatives, I’ve watched the rise of AI art with a mix of curiosity and concern. For years the art I've loved, and struggled to make, has been tactile and intentional – pencil to paper, stylus to screen. The idea that an AI model could churn out art in seconds felt reductive.
Visiting the Freepik Upscale AI conference in San Francisco I was hesitant and but also intrigued by prospect of learning why and how AI could be used creatively. I was ready to meet a room full of over-promises and underwhelming results, a crowd eager to love bad Ghibli memes.
