One of my favorite ways to explore latent space is by using prompt interrogation tools to discover new words. Midjourney’s new /describe feature isn’t the first to do this, but it’s the most accessible one (more examples in the image ALTs of the original Tweet).
Some people in the community fear that creating art has now become obsolete, raising questions about whether the time spent prompting is useful anymore because AI can create any imaginable and unimaginable variations literally without their input. However, this isn’t anything new; the systems have always been designed this way.
Every text-to-image piece that has come out of an AI system, or has yet to be generated, is already in there, hidden somewhere within these models that AI labs like to call black boxes. In theory, with an endless supply of GPUs, power, and time, one could generate all images contained within a latent space by themselves. We wouldn’t be needed.
So what’s the point?
Everything in the future will be a remix of everything else anyway (to a high degree, it already is; for instance, HBO is closing the deal to create a Harry Potter TV show). So why attempt to create something if anyone else could just do it or remix it? Even without an AI prompting itself, a monkey sitting at a typewriter for an infinite amount of time will likely prompt someday what you prompted today. So why bother? Why continue creating?
Because of your intention.
A monkey aimlessly hammering and defecating on a typewriter isn’t much different from an AI endlessly generating all possible outcomes (minus the poop). But if no one is there to observe it, did it really happen?
Your intention, your unique perspective, and your creative choices are what make the difference. When you use AI tools, you aren’t just letting the machine do all the work; you are directing it, guiding it, and shaping the outcomes. Your involvement in the creative process adds value, meaning, and purpose to the art you create.
As humans, we have the ability to imbue our creations with emotion, cultural context, and personal experiences that machines simply cannot replicate. While AI can generate countless variations, it takes a human touch to select, refine, and share the ones that resonate with us and others.
So, continue creating… because your intention matters.
Peace out ✌️