Adobe Highlights New Generative AI Features for Photoshop and More

This is at least as big a revolution in graphic arts as we saw with the dawn of desktop publishing.

In the ’70s, a graphic designer mostly used pen and ink and scissors and tape, with photographic techniques to create halftone images in the more sophisticated jobs. Unless you were a really super big company, you had zero creative involvement in preparing mass printed materials that required equipment more sophisticated than a typewriter and a mimeograph machine. Instead, you hired a company to do it for you, and explained what you wanted to their graphic designer.

Then, with the advent of the Mac and the LaserWriter, you could create camera-ready artwork yourself. Get your company’s logo digitized a single time, buy a computer and printer, and your secretary could suddenly be your graphic designer. (Granted, secretaries typically had zero training in graphic design and their work was usually correspondingly amateurish … but companies didn’t care.)

Now you don’t even need to learn the mechanics of Photoshop and Illustrator. And it’s not just simple black-and-white text-heavy graphic design … it’s full-color imaginative art at least good enough for pulp fiction covers of the ’70s.

Are the results as good as a really good human illustrator and designer? Mostly not — but, just as companies in the ’80s didn’t care that their secretaries weren’t the best graphic designers in the world, they’re not going to care that they can still get marginally better quality at the expense of the time and money to hire a dedicated professional.

And, just as even the best grandmasters can’t begin to understand the best computer chess players, it won’t be all that long before the computers are unquestionably better commercial artists than humans, no matter how you slice it.

… and it’s not just graphic arts, of course. Ultimately, all professionals will find their jobs similarly at risk.

I don’t know how this all ends, but it certainly doesn’t end with humans going to the office five days a week to earn a salary.

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Yea plus one for the nay sayers here. It’s cool and all but as someone who charges hourly for photoshop work and has already lost clients to AI this all is kinda a downer to me. It’s also very hollow and without soul but I know I sound old.

For “generative AI” read “theft”.

Yea plus one for the nay sayers here. It’s cool and all but as someone who charges hourly for photoshop work and has already lost clients to AI this all is kinda a downer to me. It’s also very hollow and without soul but I know I sound old.

Yeah there's no doubt jobs are going to get wiped because of A.I. Stuff like this has also happened in the past whenever new tech came out (letter pressing, etc). Going to have to adapt and combine different fields together before it gets too late. Also doesn't help that many execs just want it done and dont focus too much on quality

AI hands are always super creepy!!!!. Even in this low res example…

Photoshop is eventually going to lose the dozens of buttons and panels and there will just be a simple input box, maybe a preset panel with a few sliders and a place to save favorites.

It’s funny, one of the reasons I switched to a design degree in 2009 was that I thought it would be difficult for AI to replace an artist. Turns out it’s one of the easiest things for it to replace. Glad I pivoted to development since then, but even those days are limited. I know because AI has already made my job a lot easier.

My next move is to pivot to being the architect at the company in charge of AI deployments. That is not a role that will be replaced anytime soon. Companies will ultimately want a human in charge of the AI—at least until I can reach my early retirement plan.

I’ve been saying this for years, though: What is coming is a bigger shift than the Industrial Revolution and the Internet Revolution combined. This will fundamentally change work forever and we will have to build entirely new systems of laws and regulations to tackle this. Put aside the tropes of rogue AI destroying the world. Even under complete control, AI is insanely powerful. It will eat our economy if left unchecked. Greedy capitalists only interested in cashing out as quickly as possible will use this to destroy everything in their path and I mean that wholeheartedly without restraint.

Even if we do manage to get UBI passed, people with no purpose in life will eventually become depressed and commit suicide. We all need something to drive us. Some of us will be okay. I will be okay. I have many passions in life, including the art of photography, painting, and woodworking. Many will not be so lucky. These are many tough problems to solve in a very short period of time, and maybe even shorter than we think once the AI starts accelerating development of itself. I don’t see our ability to cope surpassing the rate of change, especially amongst more conservatively minded people. This will lead to great conflict, for we are but flesh and blood compared to this god of a new age.