Description:

Artificial Intelligence is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. Its ability to emulate human characteristics has captivated the attention of many and leaves us with a dilemma: Do we rise to the occasion and welcome artificial intelligence, or do we ignore it, and hope it will implode before it has the chance to destroy us? Embrace the Machine is a collection of design-led experiments into the current creative abilities and limitations of GAN and GPT AI models. Sparked by the designer’s curiosity, this project was loosely guided by the notion “Should I be worried about AI taking my job?” It juxtaposes computational thinking with design thinking, and uses AI’s computing power within the context of print design. Breaking it down into elements such as grids, typography colour and image, Embrace the Machine presents a well-considered publication featuring entirely AI-generated content in a designer-considered presentation.

The publication is a testament to design as a craft. It takes something that is inherently digital, and places it in a physical and tangible space, allowing the reader to hold and reflect on the piece of content that the computer has created. A variety of paper stock and printing techniques have been used to help elevate the reader's experience. It appeals to their inner curiosity to touch and hold things, then allows them to reflect on the implications that AI has for their practice, ultimately embracing the machine.

This process also required a critical and analytical lens from the designer. On the surface, AI can mimic human characteristics in the way it constructs its replies, successfully achieving what it was designed to do. However, on a more critical level, this technology is severely lacking. As the publication continues, the repetition of the content and the structure becomes apparent, and the uniquely human characteristic of being an agent of creativity is made evident. AI may be able to string together a compelling and captivating sentence, but its power to do so comes from a data set of hundreds of equally compelling sentences created by humans.

Embrace the Machine is a journey that, while created by AI, was fully human-led. With the designer at the helm every step of the way, iterating and reimagining what was already in existence, this project did not reinvent what it means to create. It highlights the weaknesses in how AI currently works and makes one thing apparent: so long as humans continue to innovate, explore and push boundaries, creativity will remain a characteristic that is distinctly human.