Yesterday morning, I called out Adobe for its disingenuous, patronizing statement that “AI would not replace artists.” The statement was obviously nonsense, and I cited some easy-to-imagine examples to help make my case.
Yesterday afternoon, I learned about a commercial use case for the upcoming DALL-E API. CALA, a company that calls itself the world’s first fashion and lifestyle operating system, announced it is using the DALL-E API to empower users to generate new visual design ideas from natural text descriptions or uploaded reference images.
If you’ve ever thought about creating your own line of clothing – but didn’t think you had the talent or design skills to do so – have a look at this offering. Choose the article of clothing you want to create (jacket, shirt, pants, etc.), then describe your idea to DALL-E, which will create your fashion masterpiece. (If you’re so inclined, CALA will manufacture it for you.) There are all kinds of new jobs created by this process and also many jobs destroyed. How many of us have said, “I’ll know it when I see it”?
The implications of this kind of design and manufacturing power are far greater than the simple-minded “Will robots put us out of work?” question. Product differentiation will become harder and harder. Storytelling and clever marketing will become ever more important. The term “brand” will evolve yet again. In very short order, the barriers between ideation, creation, realization, production, and distribution will evaporate. This group of technologies will ultimately democratize the workflows and processes of the doing of business – in every business. Get ready. The DALL-E API will be available this fall. After that… just use your imagination.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.