AI will replace 3D artists. That might not be a bad thing.
What would a world with AI-generated 3d art look like?
In my last story, I spoke about the possibility of AI becoming powerful enough to generate 3d models. It has become apparent that AI can reach high fidelity in the 2d realm. We are now seeing a trend that could make AI-generated 3d models reality in the future.
Imagine that 3d models can be generated by simple saying a few words. “I want a frog on a flower.”, and boom! It’s there. I would like to explore what the world would look like if we can create 3d models within seconds.
Can 3d artists be replaced by AI?
I, personally, believe this is easily possible. We have already seen articles proving that it is possible for artificial intelligence to generate 3d models.
As I explained before, we are only enabling algorithms to replace 3d artists by uploading massive quantities of data online. A movement growing 3d models in the public domain is making datasets available to anyone. It is just a matter of time before we will see that data being leveraged in artificial intelligence.
But if that happens, given that the fidelity of generated art is high enough, will we put 3d artists out of a job? I don’t think so, and I want to use an analogy to explain why.
Humans have a long tradition of art, dating back centuries. When the first photograph was taken in 1826 a new movement came about, creating backlash from painters around the world. A mechanical device could now photograph any situation in seconds. And more importantly: Anybody could do this. This threat could destroy their craft.
But paintings are still around. The painters did not lose their craft, they now share the art exhibitions with photographers. I feel that 3d artists will not lose their craft. They will be necessary. We long for a ‘human touch’ in 3d art, just as much as we do with paintings.
What would this new movement of AI artists look like?
If AI-generated art is finally here, we are enabling anyone to create 3d art. I believe that we will enable anybody to be a creator through these kinds of tools. Imagine a developer wanting to develop a game. He now can create entire levels within seconds, and focus on the programming of the game itself.
We can see movies being populated by high-fidelity art around the board. Many indie productions can now dream their wildest dreams. No more need for huge budgets. Anybody can create movies.
3d printers could now print the wildest dreams of anyone with an idea. We might see products being designed out of pure consumer needs by consumers themselves.
We are already seeing new AI tools being released as an extension of 3d artists’ jobs. San Fransisco-based Luma AI, released a new piece of software that could completely revolutionize current photo-scanning techniques. The application allows anyone to snap a few photos to create a 3d model.
For anyone wondering, you can now enroll on the waiting list on their website.
Me, as a hobby developer and 3d artist, can only cheer for these powerful tools coming to us. My skills only go as far, and if I can optimize my workflow I would happily do so.
An explosion of creativity
I could only imagine the power of creating anything I want in seconds, without the need of any skills. We would democratize art and could see an explosion of creativity across the board.
By liberalizing 3d art we could see an explosion of creativity. We could see anyone being to create anything, from games to movies to products. These already competitive markets might be flooded by the creativity of anyone, independent of skill.
Though, I feel that we do not need to worry. History has taught us that disrupting technology is not life-ending but enabling. We can easily use our own creativity as creatives to use these new tools to our advantage. We can work together with AI to create even better art than we did before. We can now focus on the bigger things.
AI as a time saver in UX research
Another great way to leverage AI, especially important for designers, is in UX research. The repetitive task of user research could be automated with digital humans, who can ask the right questions and connect the dots for us.
The power of digital humans here is that the AI could gather huge datasets and distill them into user insights. I am building a tool for UX designers to automatically transcribe and gain insights using AI technology. The goal is to empower designers by automating the long process of user research, so that designers can focus on the actual designing. Digital humans will be able to use those datasets for precise questions, leaving us designers with more time for design. Subscribe now to join the wait list!
