
The explosion of artificial intelligence has been a challenge in many spheres. From literature to coding, AI is not able to do pretty much work on everything on its own. While the results are not always the best, they are still being used to reduce or completely replace the workforce. The same is also seen in photography, a medium that has always been on par with other forms of high art. However, in more recent weeks, it seems that photography’s battle is not yet over.
While we all understand the significance of artificial intelligence in perfecting technology, it has, however, made the act of creation a challenge. For instance, the AI algorithm is useful in subject detection in cameras, with Sony a1 II recently launching a whole camera with an AI chip, which helps to improve the image quality while making it faster in low-lit conditions. Similarly, AI has been utilized in editing software, which has been helpful in smoothing out the grain in images or helping to apply changes to a bulk of photographs in one go.
While these are needed for some genres of photographers, what has also happened next is that generative AI is being used to create images of thin air for varied purposes. For instance, we have spoken about electoral campaigns and images of certain calamities that are being used to affect voters’ opinions. At the same time, a whole new plethora of non-consensual explicit images are being created using the same generative AI. This includes deepfakes of celebrities or against some minorities.
If you compare the good vs negative outcome, the negative seems to outweigh the good. For starters, generative AI has posed ethical concerns, and companies such as Adobe have introduced tools that can rob the livelihood of photographers. This is going to hit those who are in stock or commercial photography spaces since AI can now create campaign images just by using a vector file of a product. However, while it may not directly affect other forms of photography, such as portraiture, weddings, events, or photojournalism, it is likely to increase competition. Not only will certain photographers migrate to other genres of photography or switch to video, but they will constantly have to compete with the AI slop. Individuals are highly influenced by social media, so if you see images of a certain trend, there is a chance your client would ask for more but at a lesser price.

That’s not all. The subtle acceptance of AI in public spaces like museums and by publications such as on websites will only make it impossible to distinguish between AI and real images. This will make photography far less impressive than it was after the dawn of digital cameras. As we stated earlier, more and more galleries will think before inviting photographers to showcase their works since photography does not draw the same amount of income as painting or other forms of art do. This leaves the medium in a precarious situation.
However, the only outcome of this is that photography has to adapt and rely on tools from platforms such as Content Authenticity Initiative. This adoption could mean being aware of what AI is capable of and then leaving it up to the individual whether they cave in and use the tool or stick to creating images authentically. Only time can tell how this will pan out, but our hopes are that the future is brighter than it seems today.