Will AI Replace Technical Artists

We now live in a world where people can simply type a prompt to generate breathtaking art. I see a lot of artists who have been concerned with the concept of being replaced by artificial intelligence. And so yes, on the surface these concerns shared by many artists are valid, but I don't think it's the end game for technical artists, it’s just the beginning.

Competition

At first glance, it can seem daunting. Packages like Stable Diffusion, Mid Journey and DALL-E can generate mind-blowing art in a matter of seconds which would otherwise take weeks to create by an artist. The people who have dedicated years of their life to become technical artists now feel they are in competition with AI prompt art. But let me assure you, there is no competition, your value as a technical artist will always remain valuable.

Your Value

Your value is finding solutions by applying the knowledge and skills you have accumulated through years of dedicated research and development. You haven't lost your knowledge or key skills, and so your value remains intact. Take a 3d pipeline for example, it consists of many disciplines that require knowledge around sculpting, modelling, baking, materials, lighting, tracking, compositing, colour, coding, etc. There will always be a need for technical artists in most industries because a person with no knowledge of 3d pipelines is unable to fix and fine tune topology, rigging, animation, normal’s, materials, lighting, camera, optimization and all other operations involved in the pipeline, but 3d technical artists can.

AI For Artists

Artificial Intelligence will eventually become a tool set that works for technical artists, we are starting to see more and more AI tools being implemented into 3d pipelines. Imagine prompting tools that can generate textures, materials, meshes, animations, particle systems, scripts, and all within your favorite 3d package! It would be incredibly efficient, especially for concept design and filling out background scenes with assets. No doubt AI isn’t yet able to do everything, and so we still need individuals with key skills and knowledge to exceed within the industry, and to push ourselves and the technology even further.

AI For Everyone

AI Art Generators are here to stay, and they’re only going to get better. Open AI has so many brilliant uses, generating art like with Stable Diffusion is just one of them. It brings art to those who do not have time to study, capacity to study or an interest to study. It is there for entertainment, enjoyment, giggles and work. AI Art Generators also provide easily accessible tools which can generate new streams of income to anyone wishing to monetize it into a business, and that is not a bad thing.

Summary

AI can generate incredible art within seconds simply by typing in a prompt, but is it a threat to artists! No, instead AI opens up more opportunities for more people, and it will eventually become a tool that can improve the workflow for technical artists.