AI for Artists
A series of Q&A sessions — Ask me anything about this wild new medium
tldr: I'm hosting free one-on-one Q&A sessions for artists who want to better understand AI. Sign up here.
My first encounter with today’s AI was in March 2022, inside a dark cave called Discord. I had clicked a random link on Twitter and somehow landed in a frenetic, gray-colored group chat. This was Midjourney, still a private research project at the time with only a few hundred users. I typed a text prompt and Midjourney’s bot soon turned my wish into a picture (my first was: rainbow train). I was instantly intoxicated, spellbound, excited, terrified. I started telling everyone about this wild new technology — I didn’t know computers were capable of such a leap. This was before the launch of ChatGPT and my understanding of AI was still stuck in the age of clumsy robots.
Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time with this new wave of AI, trying to learn as much as I could about how it works and how I could use it. I went on to work at Midjourney for almost two years, and I recently left to pursue new projects like this one and others.
I’ve gotten countless questions about AI over the last few years, especially from artists. Many feel overwhelmed by its capabilities and rapid pace, a feeling that’s only made worse if the technology remains mystical and beyond reach, like a dark solar eclipse beaming down from above.
To help more artists make sense of AI, I'm hosting one-on-one Q&A sessions. I want more artists to feel knowledgeable and confident about AI, not intimidated or powerless. My goal is to help others demystify this new technology so that it may feel less overwhelming (and perhaps even exciting).
The format: You prepare a list of questions that we’ll go through together on a phone call. We can talk about tools, we can talk about technical foundations, we can talk about whatever topics are helpful. No question is too simple or too broad — and you don’t have to be computer-literate.
Sign up for a session (they’re free) and please share the link with others who might find this valuable. Later on, I plan to publish a summary of my conversations.
The effects of technology do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts, but alter sense ratios or patterns of perception steadily and without any resistance. The serious artist is the only person able to encounter technology with impunity, just because he is an expert aware of the changes in sense perception.
Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
About me, if you’re new here: Most recently, I worked at Midjourney for two years. Before then, I was the second engineer at Instagram. In parallel to a career in tech, I developed an art practice over the last decade with a focus on social art & interactive projects. I’ve been working closely with AI for several years and hope to share my experience with other artists now.
Wow fascinating Greg! This is extremely generous and cool of you.
Let me know if you want to write a guest post about AI in the era of augmented artists.