Generative AI has undergone a spectacular rise and continues to innovate weekly in various creative domains. The creative sector has always been at the forefront of adopting new technologies and methodologies, but with the advent of generative AI, capable of autonomously generating new images, texts, and concepts, there is talk of a potential paradigm shift in how creative professionals will do their work. Recent developments raise concerns about the possibility of machines replacing human creativity, and the role of the designer becoming subordinate to the role of the machine.
Additionally, the use of generative AI raises ethical, economic, and legal questions. This uncertainty about how to deal with Generative AI is also emphasized by the industry, as seen in examples such as SHIFT23 by InThePocket: "Questions arise about the interaction between how we will work together and how these technologies will fit into our workflow," although it is clear that it will have a profound impact. Therefore, it is important for a broadly supported research team to explore the various facets of this innovation, involving the industry.
AI offers opportunities for creative professions, but there are also many challenges that need to be investigated to implement its application in a balanced and responsible manner. Finding a balance between human and machine creativity, ensuring human involvement during the design process, and addressing ethical, legal, and ecological implications are crucial issues to analyze before fully integrating the applications into daily business operations.
The main focus of this research project is creative agencies and SME’s with creative needs, specifically for the departments of communications and design. The target audiences align with the focus of the creative bachelor programmes contributing to this research, Industrial Product Design, Digital Design & Development (Devine), and the bachelor in Communications.
The secondary target audience are students of the aforementioned bachelor programmes, as well as lecturers and researchers from Howest.
Main question: How can generative AI applications be deployed to support and enhance creative (design) processes for SMEs and freelancers in the creative sector?
Sub-questions:
This main question results in several sub-questions: