Can AI Replace Our Graphic Designer?

DALL-E 2 from OpenAI can create shockingly impressive images from complex prompts in a matter of seconds — but luckily for Tim, it still isn't as robust as a real graphic designer.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:20 Preamble
01:59 Tools and Setup
03:17 Prompt #1
08:29 Prompt #2
10:34 Prompt #3
12:24 Side-by-Sides
18:28 Reveal

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Unsplash artist credits:

Shot and edited by Hayato Huseman
Graphics by Tim McMahon and Michael Emerick

[Blate]

Tim: “So what are we doing for a video today?”

Marques: “You are re-interviewing for your job.”

[saca.technology]

Dall-E is cool but can we talk for a second about how great Tim is? Not only an artist as a designer but also a cool, humble and focused person. No wonder why he is on the team!

[averyjs.]

As an artist myself, this whole video gives me anxiety. TIm did a phenomenal job, but I would be lying if I said my desire to root for him in this situation didn't come with a human bias toward other humans. Ultimately, this video proves how much time and human effort had to go into producing these images, vs the AI who (aside from all of the data and time tht has already gone into programming it) required relatively no time/thought.

Things are going to change a lot soon, for all of us.

[kokocute]

Tim’s creativity should be more featured here. As a graphic designer myself I am blown away by his attention to details and composition. It’s very interesting and fun to see a fellow artist’s thought process while creating, I could never be that thorough with mine since a lot of concentration and creative juice is needed to just come up with the idea, much more put it on canvas. He’s a very talented artist! Would love to see more of Tim and his work!

[MichaelCarulli]

I felt bad for Tim a few times because you can tell he was stressed about this whole situation. He essentially had to prove his worth to the team while up against a computer that spits out 10 images in 10 seconds. I hope if you ever do anything like this again to please give Tim some reassurance (or at least show the reassurance on camera) because this kind of broke my heart watching this guy put all the effort he had into this challenge.

All-in-all, Tim, you did a phenomenal job, and the MKBHD team is lucky to have you! Your images were stunning, and your care and attention to detail were unparalleled. Keep up the good work!

[CGingerbreadman]

As a graphic designer myself, I found myself more interested in just watching Tim’s workflow. We all do it differently, so it’s fun to see.

[thejomah]

My favorite part as a designer was the visible frustration when people were looking over his shoulder early on.

[pkfire]

Tim's eyes are like someone who saw the future and didn't like what they saw

[nicdemai]

I love how although Tim has mad skills when it comes to Photoshop, he still took a second to watch a tutorial. That just shows me you can't always be the best at every aspect of your job. It's okay to seek help sometimes.

[moXon]

There is something comforting about seeing a professional graphic designer pull up a tutorial on how to do things.
Shout out to Unmesh and PiXimperfect for delivering the best Photoshop tutorials on YouTube!

[jotsky]

Best part, as a designer I found it hilarious and accurate that he pulled up a PixImperfect video at 12:18 to help him. 😂

[eduardoflorianantohe]

The only word I can use to describe this video is "fascinating", seeing an expert explain his thought process and seeing how much time it takes to make those edits really makes me appreciate the work even more.
Good job Tim, I wouldn't replace you with an AI for sure

[tubularap]

Most funny IMO: In a studio full of big monitors and wall-mounted displays, a group of people stand around an iPad to watch pictures.

[JhamD]

Despite how hard I try to remain optimistic, it’s pretty stressful watching AI progress as a young 3D artist. I quite honestly can’t imagine life being worth living for me if the visual art industry is automated. It’s difficult not to get emotional about it because Im so passionate about my career and one day, all the work I put in/experience I have could mean essentially nothing.

I always question “just why would you replace artists?” because it seems a bit evil on the surface. Artists typically love what they do and find fulfillment from their work. This isn’t hamburger flipping.

Additionally, artists are already constantly shamed for all their quirks but only accepted because their skills prove useful to many businesses who rely on their creative talent. I cant imagine how poorly artists would be treated by the business class if their skills served no monetary value.


I also hope people love supporting other people and don’t care as much about support robots. Handmade clothing and jewelry still exists despite much of the field being automated so that’s somewhat promising. So hopefully when all digital art can be automated, our society will find a way to value and support digital artists.

Idk. I’m always cautious to publicly comment on the topic because it’s so emotionally charged, I’m afraid I’ll change my mind tomorrow. Nonetheless, this is how I often feel about it when my anxiety goes through the roof. I hope my perspective serves some purpose other than to be mocked 😅

If so, I make a video about it to inspire digital artists to keep pursuing their dreams. The script is already written haha

[vitorvieira]

I just wanted to give Tim a hug....I could feel his anxiety and how this competition is unfair...I know it was just a playful time but it shows the importance to recognize the human value involved in a process and how sensitive and hard can be all this new context where living in... It's an one way path

[iVilliain]

dude, im happy for poor Tim. I can tell he is so anxious and actually did this like his job is on the line.

[fredrikjohansson]

The Dall-e is scary, fascinating, useful, cool and unavoidable.

[skemsen]

That Tim dude seems like such a genuinely good human being also being very intelligent, creative and funny! What a wonderful life affirming experience to see him and watch him work. Thank you so much for making this.

[jasebwmn]

Okay, this video has now put into perspective how insane Dall-E actually is, it’s easy to overlook how it’s not just “stitching” photos together, it’s actually manipulating and creating light and everything else that is so easy to overlook as an outsider.

[DarrinRigo]

Can this be a series? I could watch a season of this.