Judging it aside—whether it's good or bad—what is it exactly, and how can it be utilized? These are the real questions.
When man first discovered fire, it was a problem. Then, with knowledge and curiosity, man was able to harness its real power.
So, What Is AI Really?
In short, it's a tool that originated from the calculator (really). It runs calculations a lot faster and much more efficiently, not only using numbers but also words and even images. That’s what makes it a very important tool in so many fields of life nowadays.
AI and Utilization
Depending on the field you are in, there is a place for AI to help—whether in automating mundane tasks, creating a marketing campaign, or even managing projects. But since we are all about photos and photographers, we must know more...
We had to ask the experts so we could come closer to a clearer idea of what we call AI.
Naturally, we spoke with someone who has a strong tech background and is one of the smartest people I personally know. He is also the CTO of the TMF family, a tech consultant, and an AI/software project manager: Moath Musa.
Moath had great insights about AI, and they go as follows…
"AI is a great tool that can help in many fields of life and business. It can advance productivity by up to 70%, while the remaining 30% depends on the human factor. However, reaching this 70% efficiency requires educated and informed requests. The more one understands exactly how to craft and use proper prompts and keywords when dealing with AI, the more efficient the results can be. So, it’s about integrating the human factor with the technological solutions provided by AI".
Lastly, Moath added that editorial pictures can never be replaced by generative AI, as they capture live events, and each photo is unique. However, when it comes to commercial photos, AI can be a great help.
That’s the tech part of it. For the artistic part, it was crucial to meet with a photographer with extensive experience—one who specializes in restoring ancient artifacts and buildings in Egypt: Mr. Hesham Tawheed.
Hesham shed light on the artistry of photography in the age of AI, explaining that the differences between a professional photographer and a beginner fade with AI.
"For example, if a client wanted to hire a professional photographer to ensure high-quality images and pay X amount of money, that same client could now hire a beginner and get similar quality images with the help of AI for 1/4 X. However, without the experience of a professional photographer, the results may vary, as AI still depends on the prompts and keywords used as input. A talented photographer with a clear vision will always achieve better results. Moreover, AI cannot replace real photography, especially when it comes to monuments and ancient artifacts. A machine won't be able to capture the imperfections caused by erosion, which add value to the photo and reflect the actual history of such monuments or artifacts. The same applies to Arabic calligraphy, where each style refers to a different era—something essential for those seeking authenticity in such images".
Now that we’ve covered all this, we must ask: Is AI a good thing or a bad thing? Or, more importantly, is there a silver lining that can guide us through this duality of good and bad?