AI fails

[secretsqirrel]

An interesting piece on the scourge of AI-created event posters all looking the same. It's possible to instruct AI to do something different, if you know what to ask for, it seems.

https://john.hartnup.uk/2026/06/07/ai-event-posters.html

From what I’ve seen they all seem to appeal to nostalgia, back to sometime that didn’t really exist. Like old Enid Blyton book covers.

 

[AndyRM]

I'm not advocating for AI, if you read carefully what I wrote. Digital photography has been terrible for the profession of photography as a whole and the quality of output, whereas once the cost of equipment and the skill needed in processing images was a barrier. Pretending AI doesn't exist isn't going to save the graphic design industry from a similar fate, because too many people will say "that'll do", even if the results are often execrable.

I can read, thanks.

AI has ruined the design industry.

 

[briantrumpet]

I can read, thanks.

AI has ruined the design industry.

I'm not sure why you thought that I thought that 'advocating for AI' was a good thing then. But pretending that people aren't going to use it, or ignoring what it can do isn't going to make it go away. This is a tiny forum where we talk about 'stuff' that's happening out there, not somewhere to make sales pitches in any case (not that I was).

I'm not disputing your second point. It's a great pity, and reflects how few people value the skills involved (hence my comments about people on committees). You've obviously not been party to the discussions I've had with PR/design people I know defending their work against the comments/criticisms of People With No Idea.

 

[briantrumpet]

From what I’ve seen they all seem to appeal to nostalgia, back to sometime that didn’t really exist. Like old Enid Blyton book covers.

That's certainly been one of the vomit-inducing themes.

 

[AuroraSaab]

I think digital photography opened up the hobby to a wider group of people because there were no consumables (film) to constantly buy. That's a good thing surely.

With design there was already access to cheap/free design software before AI. The difference was you still needed to have/learn design skills or be prepared to put the hours in. Now it's quick and cheap to make an AI poster and a lot of companies will be happy with what they get from it. It's inevitably going to be ruinous for creative industries, especially graphic design. Eventually it will make It's effects felt in music and literature. Some people will always want the real deal but others are going to be happy with, say, a playlist of AI generated trumpet music as opposed to original compositions played by a real person.

 

[Psamathe]

Some people will pay for AI that churns out generic stuff thinking they've got a bargain

One aspect to AI where people are making a lot of assumptions is how much it will cost to use.

AI consumes unbelievable resources (causing immense damage). Those resources are expensive and at some AI companies will need to be looking to start charging at least in line with their costs, probably more.

At the moment we (western world) is living off the addictive freebies we are being given to get us dependent so when Tech Bros look at they bank statements and want positive and bigger numbers we'll be completely dependent, completely addicted and have no choice but to pay what they charge (and no real competition as they'll all want big $$$).

Quite a few years back it has been (fairly widely) reported that when Walmart moved into a new area where existing local stores would compete, they'd open their store and their might and backing allowed them to sell below cost until local competition who couldn't match pricing went bust. Only then did Walmart go back to selling at profitable pricing but now without the local competitors.

 

[briantrumpet]

One aspect to AI where people are making a lot of assumptions is how much it will cost to use.

AI consumes unbelievable resources (causing immense damage). Those resources are expensive and at some AI companies will need to be looking to start charging at least in line with their costs, probably more.

At the moment we (western world) is living off the addictive freebies we are being given to get us dependent so when Tech Bros look at they bank statements and want positive and bigger numbers we'll be completely dependent, completely addicted and have no choice but to pay what they charge (and no real competition as they'll all want big $$$).

Quite a few years back it has been (fairly widely) reported that when Walmart moved into a new area where existing local stores would compete, they'd open their store and their might and backing allowed them to sell below cost until local competition who couldn't match pricing went bust. Only then did Walmart go back to selling at profitable pricing but now without the local competitors.

It's the way all businesses work if they have world domination ambitions, whether that's private equity trying to dominate a sector with monopolistic-type status (think children's care homes, vets, or the NHS in the UK), general businesses (the big grocery chains, for example), or Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. The way to big profits is to eliminate meaningful competition.

In the AI/LLM business, we've already seen the costs of coding via them go up astronomically (habitual business users seeing all their pre-bought 'tokens' be used up in one day rather than the expected month/three months), meanwhile the number of human coders and people studying computer science plummet.

I'm sure the same AI companies are working out how they can charge casual users once they've decimated the graphic design industry.

 

[AndyRM]

I'm not sure why you thought that I thought that 'advocating for AI' was a good thing then. But pretending that people aren't going to use it, or ignoring what it can do isn't going to make it go away. This is a tiny forum where we talk about 'stuff' that's happening out there, not somewhere to make sales pitches in any case (not that I was).

I'm not disputing your second point. It's a great pity, and reflects how few people value the skills involved (hence my comments about people on committees). You've obviously not been party to the discussions I've had with PR/design people I know defending their work against the comments/criticisms of People With No Idea.

I've f*cked up. And I apologise. Sorry Brian, mea culpa.