Would declaring my creative studio as "AI Free" be a good, bad or indifferent idea?

[Pete-W]

I run a small creative studio (photography, videography, design & print) in the east midlands, I am currently in the middle of a push online to get new work in and clients, and looking for ways to differentiate my studio from others.

As there is quite a big push-back against AI in design I was considering putting something on my promotional materials stating that my studio is "AI Free" - A bit like the "GM Free" movement of yesteryear...
I don't use AI at all in image creation, post processing, design etc - I am something of a purist, I prefer to get it right in camera. I don't use it to create "quick & lazy" posters that all look the same (literally all the car shows in my area have a nearly identical poster this summer ) - I create from scratch.

But before I do this I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are?

I can see some creatives being happy to see this, I don't see it driving off any new potential clients... Or should I just say nothing?!

 

[Gecko001]

Saying that you do not do something is negative advertising, and suggests a certain lack of self-confidence in the service that you are providing.

 

[DavidAshdown]

AI is a tool and, used correctly, I think it’s perfectly legitimate. I’m not sure I’d personally promote being “AI Free”, because it risks suggesting that the tool itself is the problem rather than how it’s used.


Ultimately, most clients probably care far more about the end result than the process used to create it. If something looks great, does the job and achieves what the client wanted, does it really matter whether AI played some part in getting there?


There’s obviously a huge difference between somebody typing a quick prompt and accepting whatever comes back, and an experienced creative using AI alongside their own skills and judgement. For me, that’s where the distinction lies.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I would agree that it's a bit negative and potentially limiting; AI may well be of value either directly or embedded in software & tools that you use.

A more positive approach, and one that I push a lot, is the 'deal with real humans' aspect - which can still accommodate AI as support, just not the front end.

 

[MikeJ]

I'd gather a number of those posters that all look the same, line them up next to each other and tell people you're going to create something unique for them that's going to make them stand out from the crowd.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

AI has created a belief that anyone can produce appropriate artwork. It's taken over from the customer who says 'i've got finished artwork, my 15 year old nephew produced it', which rarely hits the mark.

I'd promote the hands on creation, the individual personality of your work , which will better align with the customers needs, whilst referencing AI as a tool that you use to enhance elements that can reduce costs.

 

[Pete-W]

Saying that you do not do something is negative advertising, and suggests a certain lack of self-confidence in the service that you are providing.

I don't understand how stating that I don't use AI has anything to all to do with self-confidence.....?

If anything it emphasises that I HAVE the skills, experience and confidence to produce work that doesn't need "fixing" in post.

 

[Gecko001]

Sorry @Pete-W, I probably should not have used the phrase "self-confidence". I meant confidence in the product. You plainly are confident in the product, but negative advertising is not the way to put this confidence across in my view.

 

[ctrlbrk]

There could be a niche for some people who have grown tired of being sold AI-generated stuff left right and centre. I know I have.

My 2p.

 

[MikeJ]

I don't care if AI has been used. I just wouldn't want something to look like AI has been used.

 

[fisicx]

But if you used AI to help with editing the job would be done quicker and therefore be cheaper.

 

[Gecko001]

I think there is a market for Ai free material, but I do not think the term "Ai free" should be used in describing it. You are making a rod for your back by doing in that some Ai content could slip through mistakenly and a competitor who does use Ai will use it to call you out.

 

[Gecko001]

I think the various organisations and the businesses who want to promote the use of original content will have to make sure that that content is genuinely Ai free themselves, and they cannot rely on content that claims to be "Ai free". Universities and all educational establishment certainly fall into that category. They will have to determine what can and cannot be called original content. For example, they will have to determine whether a 1930's film restored using Ai is original content. That is at the easy end of the spectrum of what is and what is not original content. However, there are more difficult decisions the organisations will have to consider when they are determining what is original content and what is not. For example, would a report be considered original content if some Ai input was used to analyse the huge amount of original data produced in a research project?

 

[davidleo7557]

I run a small creative studio (photography, videography, design & print) in the east midlands, I am currently in the middle of a push online to get new work in and clients, and looking for ways to differentiate my studio from others.

As there is quite a big push-back against AI in design I was considering putting something on my promotional materials stating that my studio is "AI Free" - A bit like the "GM Free" movement of yesteryear...
I don't use AI at all in image creation, post processing, design etc - I am something of a purist, I prefer to get it right in camera. I don't use it to create "quick & lazy" posters that all look the same (literally all the car shows in my area have a nearly identical poster this summer ) - I create from scratch.

But before I do this I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are?

I can see some creatives being happy to see this, I don't see it driving off any new potential clients... Or should I just say nothing?!

I’d focus on the positive message: human-made and created from scratch. That sounds better than simply AI Free.

 

[HarryAdney]

I run a small creative studio (photography, videography, design & print) in the east midlands, I am currently in the middle of a push online to get new work in and clients, and looking for ways to differentiate my studio from others.

As there is quite a big push-back against AI in design I was considering putting something on my promotional materials stating that my studio is "AI Free" - A bit like the "GM Free" movement of yesteryear...
I don't use AI at all in image creation, post processing, design etc - I am something of a purist, I prefer to get it right in camera. I don't use it to create "quick & lazy" posters that all look the same (literally all the car shows in my area have a nearly identical poster this summer ) - I create from scratch.

But before I do this I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are?

I can see some creatives being happy to see this, I don't see it driving off any new potential clients... Or should I just say nothing?!

Personally, I see AI-free in a very positive light,. In the design field I'd much rather work with someone who uses their creative skills rather than getting a computer to come up with something. To be clear, I'm not a luddite! I actually use AI for my development work - but not for design work.