It seems many look at AI as a generator of finished products. This strips the process of doubt, failure and adaptation — elements that contribute to the depth and richness of human creativity. Instead of relying solely on the outputs of AI, how can we collaborate with it while maintaining an executive role in the creative process? To further explore this, we partnered with STRP to develop a workshop where participants work alongside AI to create out-of-the-ordinary chair concepts.

How can we gain more control over creative AI?

In times of rapid technological change, creatives must challenge themselves to come up with new working methods. To preserve authenticity while working with AI, it is essential to explore hybrid forms of creation. Creatives must find out which parts of the process can be handed over to AI, so it can empower them instead of replacing them.

The workshop delves deeper into these hybrid forms of creation. Each participant starts with a design challenge. Examples include: “Design a chair that adapts to the weather”, “Design a chair that encourages conversation” and “Design a minimalistic chair”. The whole process starts with simple pen-on-paper drawings. This urges participants to think about their design challenge and the elements their chair should incorporate. After that, their first compositions are fed to a generative AI.

Participants are encouraged to be critical about the generated images and form their own opinions. “Are these the right materials? Will it be comfortable to sit in? Do I really want these types of armrests?” Based on the first AI outputs, they create new versions by enhancing their drawings or changing their prompts. This marks the start of an iterative process, opening the door for a collaboration with AI.

Last month, we held the first edition of the workshop. Within 45 minutes, participants explored this hybrid form of working. Although none of them had a background in design, they were able to visualize and communicate their ideas in a rapid tempo by constantly adjusting their prompts and sketches.

Human and machine formed an interesting bond. Inspired by the generated responses, participants started to go back and forth with the AI. Sometimes, this occurred because sketches were visualised close to how they were imagined; more often, it was due to AI introducing unforeseen elements. These “happy little mistakes” are of great value to a creative process as they open up new directions of thought. This is where, in our opinion, this working approach truly shines. It’s the responsibility of the creative to identify these opportunities and further explore them.

At the end of the workshop we were left with results that were genuinely intriguing. The participants were able to follow their impulses, were curious, had doubts, and made thoughtful decisions. By changing their compositions and prompts they were significantly in charge of their creative process. These chairs are not ready for manufacturing, but many concepts proved to be either refreshing or aesthetically compelling. All of this occurred in a timeframe shorter than an hour. This is another advantage of working with AI: it can rapidly and articulately envision ideas, making it a valuable tool for early exploration phases and rapid prototyping.

Our studio will continue to investigate and understand the possible dynamics of creative AI collaborations. By developing prototypes and tools, we aim to understand not only the roles AI can fulfil but also the new roles we, as creatives, must undertake. If you’re interested in this workshop or the topic of creative AI collaborations, feel free to contact us.

Krom is a design studio and research lab for new media and technology, envisioning new concepts in design, art and technology. Independent of platform and form, we explore by analysing, experimenting and prototyping.

Will AI take over the creative industry?

Nick Cave called chatGPT a boundless machine of artistic demoralisation and numerous artists raised concerns about AI image plagiarism. I’m not going to lie, we experience similar fears and have concerns about the ethical implications of developments in AI. However, we are also very excited.

Humans and systems

As programmers in the creative field we’ve always been fascinated by the dynamics of human-system interactions and the potential for creative collaborations with machines. We admire the early use of algorithms by David Bowie, who used a simple piece of software in the nineties to write his lyrics. More recent AI creations also caught our interest. For example “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” — a digital image created by Jason Michael Allen using Midjourney — claimed the first prize at the 2022 Colorado State Fair’s annual fine art competition. It was one of the first AI-generated images to win such a prize. The advancements in text-to-video AI are even more fascinating. Looking at the first outcomes of OpenAI’s Sora, it’s hard not to be impressed. However, all tools invented are only as strong as the minds using it. While these developments are all very interesting to follow, what matters is how we will utilise them.

New creative approaches

Our studio is intrigued by the possibilities of AI as a creative partner. There is potential to provide artists with tools to elevate their work, explore new possibilities and create innovative forms of expression. Even more importantly, it could democratise creativity. By eliminating barriers that once hindered creativity, such as limited resources or a lack of specific technical skills, it will empower a large group of people to bring their ideas to life. Small studios and individuals will be able to operate like big agencies, taking on challenges previously only addressable for a select few. This shift could have a significant impact on the pace at which humanity progresses.

We’re going to have to learn to think and design in a different way. Such adjustments have been a constant requirement with every technological advancement throughout history. New creative roles and skills will have to emerge. I believe the ability to come up with original ideas and curate AI-generated outcomes will be of high importance. This is where our human value will reside. It is crucial that we keep deciding what is of value to us and what is not. In order to do so, we must continue to grasp the concepts of design, aesthetics, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In a way, some creatives will become curators.

In what ways can AI contribute to the creative process?

Researching future scenarios

We can talk about it extensively, but to figure out what we want, something must be experienced firsthand. We believe that, to help shape the future, it’s essential to explore different potential scenarios. This exploration helps us not only to identify what we desire but, perhaps more crucially, what we wish to avoid. The coming time our studio will be exploring the possibilities of AI in the creative field. By developing different prototypes and tools, we aim to understand not only the roles AI can fulfil but also the new roles we, as creatives, must undertake.

So, let us not give away the responsibility to create, but rather, let us be amplified by AI while remaining critical. It could serve as our creative companion, working harmoniously alongside us.

If you’re interested in this research, we will be sharing the results on this platform. If you want to talk about this subject or if you’re interested in a collaboration, reach out to us.