Tag Archives: Midjourney

Top Ten AI-Generated Concepts Elevate Product Design to New Heights

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Artificial intelligence is stirring discussions within the creative realm. Regardless of where one stands on the “debate,” the democratization of graphic design, product concepts, and digital creativity spans diverse domains, and Artificial Intelligence is shaping various sectors. Certain AI tools not only enhance efficiency but also drive innovation. These inventive tools are capturing significant attention due to their remarkable impact. Although AI-generated designs might spark debate, some designers are harnessing their potential to shape unique interpretations of furniture, cars, shoes, mobiles, appliance aesthetics, and more.

Designer: Moss and Fog

1. Popping Car Designs

Moss and Fog have used the AI generator tool “Midjourney” to bring together automobile design and architecture to create car designs inspired by famous architectural designers of the 20th century. By employing an AI-image generator, they have infused the essence of architectural marvels from around the world into a four-wheel automobile design. The design studio’s curiosity was centered on delving into the idea of “Imagine if acclaimed architects embarked on car design?”

Hailing from Spain, Antoni Gaudi i Cornet was a champion of Catalan Modernism, showcased through his distinctly personalized works in the sui generis style. His creations predominantly grace Barcelona, with the iconic Sagrada Familia church standing as a prime example.

Recognized as the “foremost American architect in history” by the American Institute of Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright has revolutionized our perception of modern constructions. His portfolio includes a staggering 1,114 architectural marvels, of which he brought to life a remarkable 532.

Frank Owen Gehry, a Canadian-American designer, has gained widespread acclaim for crafting some of the globe’s most iconic landmarks. His avant-garde approach to design is highly regarded within the architecture realm. In 2010, he was rightfully bestowed with the prestigious accolade of being named “the preeminent architect of our era” by the prominent Vanity Fair magazine.

Paying homage to Zaha Hadid’s distinctive design vocabulary, this avant-garde vehicle embodies her iconic design style. The AI tool beautifully integrates the concept of abstracted layers, similar to the series of modular steel panels with remarkable precision.

2. Sports Bikes

Designer: Coldstar Art

Shared among most superheroes is an iconic trait—an impressive set of wheels that elevates their heroic aura. Amid the enthusiasm for AI-crafted helmets and footwear, a latent aspiration lingered: a motorcycle seamlessly resonating with beloved superheroes. The AI-generated amalgamation of cars, crafted in renowned designers’ styles is a creative visualization of superhero sports bikes that have taken form, and the outcomes are truly astounding. The commendation largely rests on the Midjourney AI tool, collaboratively guided by the creator’s unique cues to generate the envisioned artwork.

3. Magic School Bus

Designer: Shail Patel

Some interesting concepts have been shaped using Artificial Intelligence and some designers’ wild imagination, which may someday become reality. The Mutated School Bus was created with the help of the AI design tool Midjourney and is both playful and functional and offers a practical mode of transportation. The bus looks like a rolling classroom with its multi-story stacked bus structure with the signature yellow color while its vertical form is a combination of circular, oblong, and square windows and rooms, that is reminiscent of the look of Minions and transforms into a fun mobile school where children can study while going around the city.

4. Gaudi’s Home Appliances

Inspired by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, these household appliance designs use an AI image generator to mimic Gaudi’s aesthetics when applied to everyday items. The best part about these designs is that they resemble museum pieces and can infuse charm into the kitchen with their flowing contours and unique textured surfaces. These designs blend neo-gothic, art nouveau, and modernist styles from toasters and mixers to vacuum cleaners and coffee machines.

Designer: Marcus Byrne

5. Imagining Transparent Products

Designer: Vadim Sadovski

Vadim Sadovski’s ‘Alternate Reality Retrofuturism’ series envisions a realm where steampunk and transparency meld into dominant design themes. AI tools like Midjourney played a pivotal role in bringing these imaginings to life and each product within this collection features a captivatingly intricate and chaotic otherworldly aesthetic. While the series exudes a mesmerizing visual frenzy devoid of a defined pattern, its allure is unanimous. Yet, retrofuturism encompasses more than mere transparency. It’s an amalgamation of retro and futuristic elements, with exquisite creations that seem plucked from a parallel universe. Notable examples, such as the Macintosh computer and Netflix TV, epitomize the successful execution of retrofuturism, at least in the visual sense.

6. iPhones in Ancient Civilizations

Designer: Niels (@appledsign)

The designs of these iPhones are deeply rooted in the echoes of our ancient civilizations. Each product encapsulates the fusion of form and function and pays homage to the timeless elegance and ingenuity of the past, drawing inspiration from cultures like the Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, and more.

7. Renaissance-inspired Mouse Designs

Designer: Str4ngThing

Influenced by concepts from the past, these computer peripherals draw inspiration from Renaissance-inspired designs. The mouse designs seamlessly integrates ergonomic precision with the aesthetics of a bygone era. As a result, the fusion of an old-world charm with modern functionality infuses a slice of history into the daily tools we use.

8. How About Renaissance-inspired Shoes Design?

Designer: Str4ngeThing

Designed by the AI artist Str4ngeThing, this collection of footwear showcases a variety of styles intricately capturing the intricate architectural and artistic nuances reminiscent of Renaissance Architecture. Crafted to mimic the appearance of finely sliced wood veneer or cork, these shoes showcase an abundance of intricate details. While typical footwear often aligns with the “less is more” principle, these Renaissance-inspired footwear concepts challenge this norm. In contrast to the simplicity seen in Chuck Taylors, Crocs, or Christian Louboutins, these designs embrace intricate complexity. Each shoe manages to encapsulate an entire era of iconic architecture within its compact structure. Although the AI-generated images might occasionally miss certain details and incorporate assumptions, the resulting visuals remain undeniably captivating.

9. Nike x Avengers Assemble

Designer: Paul Parsons

Amid the sea of Marvel merchandise, designer Paul Parsons has conjured a creation so compelling that I’m genuinely wishing it into reality. Collaborating with MidJourney’s innovative resources, these Marvel X Nike football sneakers exude the essence of the MCU’s iconic heroes and anti-heroes. Striking a balance between sporty footwear and a tribute to comic-book protagonists, these football boots boast standalone excellence even when detached from their context. Comprising a collection of 9 distinct footwear models, each dedicated to a particular character from the Avengers filmography… along with Wolverine.

10. Futuristic Fashion Accessories

Designer: Grant Franck

South African designer Grant Franck’s AI-generated product concepts intertwine gaming, introducing a captivating visual narrative. The assortment of AI-created products, spanning sneakers, helmets, backpacks, music players, and game controllers, weaves futuristic shapes reminiscent of computer games. The designer’s intent is to distance these items from the influence of “idols” and narcissism—likely alluding to popular brands shaped around personalities, often priced exorbitantly. The collection features vibrant designs harmonizing chrome, purple, green, and transparent hues, primed for discussion if they transition to reality. However, concerns arise over practicality and durability, particularly for sneakers and backpacks due to their seemingly delicate design. These accessories prioritize aesthetics over functionality, although they undeniably attract attention. Merging gaming items with fashion resonates with gamers, providing an alternative outlet beyond their consoles when they venture outdoors.

The post Top Ten AI-Generated Concepts Elevate Product Design to New Heights first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Nordic Hotel’s Architecture Blends Beautifully into the Organic Snow-Capped Mountain Slopes

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Combining luxurious architecture and natural camouflage together, Mertcan Güldilek’s Nordic Breeze hotel is easy to miss when viewed from above. As you descend into the valley, however, the gorgeous hotel becomes more apparent with its unique blend of the snow-white facade and wrap-around glass. Created using AI, Güldilek’s architectural concept shows how organic design can blend beautifully into a landscape, complementing it rather than contrasting it.

Designer: Mertcan Güldilek

The AI experimentations take on a rather organic design reminiscent of Ross Lovegrove’s work. The hotel’s facade is difficult to really describe as it flows quite like the mountain slope. In the negative areas created by the facade, Güldilek adds running edge-to-edge windows that help residents/patrons get a sprawling panoramic view of the landscape ahead of them.

“The hotel emerges in the heart of the Swedish valley, inviting guests to a refuge that seamlessly blends with its breathtaking surroundings,” says Güldilek. “The organic approach to design ensures that the hotel becomes an extension of the surrounding nature, creating a sense of unity that calms and inspires.”

Envisioned for Storglaciären, Sweden, these hotels are located in the valleys of a snowcapped mountain range, alongside a glacial river that adds to the hotel’s charm. Multiple iterations of the hotel’s design see it nestled on top of the glacial river, giving patrons a stunning shimmering view of the snowcapped landscape along with its reflection. Sunrises and sunsets would look amazing here for 6 months in the year!

“As the sun descends, casting its golden rays across the land, the hotel radiates a warm and inviting aura that draws guests in,” adds Güldilek. “The golden hour lighting envelops the building, illuminating every detail and infusing the surroundings with a magical quality.”

Different iterations also play with volumes, adding multiple wings and levels to the architecture for a dynamic appeal. Each hotel room therefore has a unique view of what’s around them, creating a bespoke experience for everyone who comes to visit the conceptual Nordic Breeze hotel!

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An AI Was Told To Design The Next Bugatti Supercar… Here’s What It Came Up With.

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In just about a year since AI technology’s gone mainstream, it’s gotten shockingly good. The amount of realism they’re capable of is mesmerizing, especially with tools like Midjourney doing an incredible job at creating even minute details. Gone are the days when AI botched up faces, fingers, and other aspects of the human body or even the real world. It’s reached a level where to an untrained eye, we’re way past that uncanny valley. In fact, if I hadn’t mentioned it in the title, it’s entirely conceivable that some people would think the image above (or even the ones below) were concept renders either by Bugatti or by a transportation design enthusiast. They are, however, an exploration of Bugatti’s aesthetic using Midjourney and Photoshop’s AI tools. The results help us understand and appreciate two things – not only do they remind us of how spectacular AI is at understanding design cues, these images are also a reinforcement of Bugatti’s own design language, showing how the company’s cars are all a part of the same visual DNA. Let’s dive into that DNA a bit further…

Designer: Cole Kessel (Via Midjourney)

The AI still has a tendency to mess up certain elements like logos, which is why it’s possible that these were edited to put the actual Bugatti logo in place. That aside, they almost look like they were created by the French marque’s automotive design division. Look at them long enough and you see hints of the Centodieci, Divo, La Voiture Noire, and even the Bolide.

Bugatti’s visual language pretty much was defined after the Veyron was first announced. Designed by Jozef Kabaň, the Veyron eventually become the starting point off of which the company’s entire fleet was based, as following cars emulated the same elements of Veyron’s design. The silhouette became a common element as did things like a softer front profile around the front fenders. Bugatti cars always had a horseshoe-shaped grill on the front and this further went on to becoming a strong element in future cars, as did the C-cut window which can’t really be seen in the front view, but is highly recognizable once observed from the side.

With newer models, as carbon fiber outer shells became more of the norm, the cars started experimenting with more aggressive designs that eschewed the Veyron’s otherwise ‘bubbly’ aesthetic. The headlights began evolving too, with the Divo first breaking apart from the Veyron and Chiron’s headlight aesthetic. Finally we began seeing headlights like the one in the Bolide, which the AI image above mimics rather well, with its X-shaped pattern hinting at the car’s extreme capabilities.

All these AI explorations play rather well within the parameters of the ‘constraints’ set by Bugatti’s design team. You’ve got hyper-aggressive forms like the one below, but relatively smoother ones like the image above. All the cars opt for a classy bubble cockpit with a line cutting through quite similar to the Bolide concept. The AI also does a great job of sticking to Bugatti’s brand colors of black and shades of blue, interspersed with small carbon fiber trims in between. It’s remarkable that despite how hyper-realistic they are, none of these cars are real… but they still feel unapologetically like they were designed by the French luxury supercar brand. Which carmaking brand do you want to see AI take over next??

The post An AI Was Told To Design The Next Bugatti Supercar… Here’s What It Came Up With. first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Ethereal Wood-Wrapped House Looks Like Something From a Fairytale

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Designed with the whimsical beauty one can only find in fiction, this literal tree-house features an entire wooden outer facade made of pieces of wood wrapping around each in an organic style almost like the roots of a tree. Dubbed the ‘Wooden Egg’, this wondrous home takes inspiration from nests and how birds have an innate ability to turn wooden twigs into a concave vessel for their eggs to rest in. Playing on that theme, designer Shoaib Sha decided to make a nest-like home with an overall egg shape… with the residents being the baby hatchlings!

Designer: Shoaib Sha

The gentle curves of this elevated residence guide your eyes, revealing the fluidity of its interior spaces. But it’s not just about visual allure; the choice of timber as the primary material serves a dual purpose. Not only does it infuse the residence with a warm and inviting ambiance, but it also rekindles our love for traditional materials like wood in architecture, rejecting the logical, mechanical brutalist approach of concrete and steel.

“Each curve and angle is meticulously crafted to optimize natural light, ventilation, and energy efficiency, enhancing the overall living experience while minimizing environmental impact,” says designer Shoaib Sha. “This residence stands as an abstractive art form of architecture’s potential to elevate the human experience while celebrating the beauty and resilience of the natural world.”

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Everyday Products Get a Magnificent ‘Retrofuturistic’ Upgrade Through AI’s Vision

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Sci-fi’s entire endeavor has been to imagine worlds in alternate futures, alternate realities, and alternate universes. To plot timelines, envision technologies, and build entire lifestyles and societies around them. It isn’t easy, which is why good sci-fi is hard to come by… but with a little help from AI maybe things will be a little easier. Created as a broad part of Vadim Sadovski’s ‘Alternate Reality Retrofuturism’ series, these products imagine life in a world where steampunk and transparency co-mingle as dominant design themes. Sadovski relied on AI tools like Midjourney to help envision these products, all of which have a similar otherworldly aesthetic that’s filled with detail and chaos. There’s little method to the visual madness that is this series, but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, every image here is absolutely fascinating, showing how powerful these AI-generative art tools can be with the right prompt.

Designer: Vadim Sadovski

If there’s one thing that’s incredibly challenging to do with AI tools, it’s to make it imagine things it hasn’t seen before. AI image generative tools rely on their databases to create final results, and more often than not, it’s difficult to find images of relevance – case in point being something like a transparent camera. What Sadovski’s pulled off here is quite impressive, considering the AI’s done a remarkable job of not only rendering a transparent housing but also the components underneath. The camera above is a stellar example of how good these tools have gotten. Right below is a Sony loudspeaker/amplifier.

A vacuum cleaner above and a helmet below show the capabilities of the AI in creating uniquely detailed products. Transparent vacuum cleaners, or semi-transparent helmets aren’t a thing, but with just the right prompt and enough trial and error, it’s easy to get the AI to visualize something remarkable.

Retrofuturism, however, is more than just turning products transparent – it’s about combining retro and futuristic elements to create something so absurdly beautiful, it seems like it’s from an alternate universe. The Macintosh computer above and the Netflix TV below are a prime example of retrofuturism done right – at least visually. There’s an overwhelming debate about whether AI art is actually art, or whether AI creations deserve the same amount of merit as real human-made creations… but if there’s one thing that’s certain, the AI does a phenomenal job when it comes to being imaginative. Sometimes that may result in ‘hallucinations’ which involve the AI jumbling up things by putting 7 fingers on a hand instead of the usual 5. However, I firmly believe the AI’s job is to just help boost our own imagination, not replace it.

Sadovski’s approach to this series looks beyond conventional gadgets too. A cat bed above, and a human bed (or resting chamber/pod) below show how the AI works across different categories. There’s an undeniable ‘outer space’ vibe to both beds, which come with enclosed glass chambers and what seems like an air filtration unit for supplying the occupant with fresh air.

If you want to check out the rest of Vadim Sadovski’s AI series, follow him on Instagram.

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Top 5 Midjourney Artists using AI to Blur The Lines Between Art and Architecture

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There’s a unique dichotomy that’s emerging with AI tools. While all AI tools are essentially designed to automate activities and make life easier, AI tools like ChatGPT end up making our brains weaker because we get the AI to do all the thinking and writing for us, but on the other hand, AI tools like Midjourney end up making our brains more creative! Anything you can think of, Midjourney can visualize, and that has vast implications for our overall society as it pushes us all to be a little more visually imaginative.

Today’s list comprises global AI artists who are doing exactly that. The works of these artists feature unthinkably beautiful art installations, architectural wonders, and even interior elements that should make your jaw drop ever so slightly. Here are our favorite artists and creatives who are using AI tools like Midjourney to break the shackles of reality and explore creativity beyond it!

Joshua Vermillion (@joshuavermillion)

An Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a published author, Joshua Vermillion’s experiments with AI stem from his architectural background. Vermillion’s work predominantly looks to explore the use of organic forms and vibrant colors in well-lit spaces, creating a menagerie of tints and shades. One of Vermillion’s most famous works involved creating unique tinted-glass structures in a desert. Stemming originally from the idea of building installations at Burning Man, he went on to explore the series in greater depth, creating unique organic structures that capture the whimsical nature of the human-AI creative partnership. You can check out Joshua’s work on his IG page.

Will Garner (@wg.xyz)

Will Garner’s experiments with AI stem from his architectural background too. An architect by profession, Garner touts the use of AI in his workflow to come up with unique ideas that may not seem feasible, but are definitely a direction worth aspiring to head in. Much of Garner’s later work has incorporated the use of metal sheets in the architectural facades to create shimmering structures, although his most popular projects have a biophilic touch to them, incorporating concrete and chlorophyll together to create buildings that immerse themselves in nature! Browse Will’s Instagram to see his work.

Vojtek Morsztyn (@vojtek_morsztyn)

London-based designer and CEO of Ocean Community, Vojtek Morsztyn is quite a mixed bag of talent. Vojtek has an impressive design background, working on projects such as airplane interiors, helicopters, boats and creating architectural spaces such as Mercury Tower for Zaha Hadid, Google, etc. Now actively involved as a designer in the world of AI design connecting with industry professionals on an international scale. Vojtek’s IG is just about as diverse as his own skills, and features a combination of futuristic transportation as well as architecture. The work displayed above takes a page from one of his own mentor companies, paying tribute to Zaha Hadid’s chaotic organic approach to architecture. The buildings look massive, sublime, and like a literal oasis of shimmering hope in an arid desert. Vojtek’s IG is a great source for eclectic, appealing content, and deserves a follow!

Carlos Bañón Goh (@carlosbannon)

It’s just extremely encouraging when we see professors experimenting with AI tools instead of being strict puritanical traditionalists. An Associate Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Carlos Bañón Goh uses AI tools to explore new styles of art, architecture, and digital manufacturing. An example lies in his explorations with Renaissance art and modern products like wireless mice (you NEED to see his series on Michaelangelo-inspired mice!), although our favorite remains his steady obsession with staircases. Carlos loves experimenting with applying new architectural/visual styles to staircases, like minimalism, blobject, art deco, and art nouveau (like the black staircase on the top left). View all of Carlos’ AI experiments on his Instagram.

Daryl Anselmo (@darylanselmo)

Daryl Anselmo stands out with both his designs and his professional background. An Art Director for Games and New Media, having worked with companies like Disney, EA, and Zynga, Daryl believes in using AI to build worlds. He doesn’t make buildings, he makes societies and urban cultures. He doesn’t make interior spaces, he weaves up interior elements that tell a distinct story and have a strong background. I use the word ‘weaves’ rather literally, referencing my favorite work from Daryl – his Heirloom Granny Square Sitting Rooms collection. Creating living rooms that have been crochet-bombed and bedazzled by enthusiastic grandmas, these interiors are an explosion of color, contrast, and textures. Every inch of every photo has woven elements in it, whether it’s quilts, furniture, or even dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling. There’s a simultaneous feeling of comfort and of bursting vibrance in these interiors, but don’t take my word for it… visit Daryl’s Instagram to see the other beautiful work he’s creating using AI!

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From Trash to Treasure: How an AI Created Stunning Architecture from a Crumpled Paper

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AI might not steal our jobs, but it for sure will help us become MUCH more talented. Tools like Midjourney help push our creativity to new heights by allowing us to imagine practically anything. Some artists have used it to imagine sapphire-crusted gold thrones, others have turned luxury automobiles into high-octane off-roaders, and architect Tim Fu is using Midjourney to realize large architectural marvels by using something as unusual as crumpled paper as his source of inspiration.

Simply dubbed “Crumpled Paper Architecture”, this series explores Midjourney’s Image to Image feature. All you do is upload an image, add a description or prompt, and the AI works using both as an input. Tim’s prompts featured names of prominent architectures, and the AI did the rest, turning the haphazard folds in the paper into architectural details. The results are fantastic, but more so, they open up new possibilities for ideation. Designers and architects can now look anywhere for inspiration, and rely on an AI to bring their visions to life… After all, if crumpled paper can look this good!

Designer: Tim Fu (via Midjourney)

The image above served as Tim’s source file, which the AI took as a visual input. Tim simply crumpled a piece of high-GSM paper (for more detailed folds) ad placed it on his keyboard as a base. The keys of the keyboard acted as a neat perspective guide for the AI, helping it understand scale, height, perspective, etc.

The second part of the exercise was to give the AI a prompt, instructing it to manipulate the image in the style of your choosing. Below is an example of the AI harnessing the style of Pritzker-prize-winning architectural firm SANAA (Sejima And Nishizawa And Associates). Inspired by the architecture of the Sydney Modern Museum and the Apartments on Ave. Maréchal Fayolle in Paris, the AI created a multi-level building with curved, undulating facades in white. The curved architecture aims at creating dynamic spaces on the inside as well as an exterior that benefits well from direct sunlight, creating a unique interplay between highlights and shadows.

A prompt to turn the paper into the architecture of Zaha Hadid yielded some interesting results too. The late architect’s works explore immense, sometimes highly challenging forms, bridging art and engineering in an iconic way. The AI’s work is not too different, using not a single straight line in the process. Inspired by Hadid’s organic approach, the building has a fluid appeal to it too, almost as if it were carved by water, wind, and erosion.

To push things further, Tim experimented with new forms, resulting in even more interesting outputs. This particular crumple had some height to it, so it was interesting to see how the AI would translate that into architecture that’s still feasible and structurally sound. For this experiment, Tim harnessed the styles of OMA or the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Based in Germany, OMA isn’t afraid of dramatic facades, and often uses glass to bring concrete to life. In the case of the ‘building’ below, you’ll see references to Dutch artist Piet Mondrian too, with the use of abstract geometric shapes, brought to life by vibrant colors. I can only imagine how interesting the buildings must look from the inside, with natural light filtering through those tinted glass panels.

The next prompt turned the same crumpled paper into a building by Spanish architect and structural engineer, Santiago Calatrava. Calatrava’s designs are known for their organic and zoomorphic shapes that resemble living organisms. His buildings often feature sweeping curves and dramatic angles that give them a sense of movement and dynamism, which the AI captured really well. The curved facades, combined with the use of angular elements, give the building a biofuturistic appeal. Look closer and you’ll notice details like rectangular panels, supports, and window borders, just showing how capable the AI is of recreating even the overlooked details of grandiose architecture. Calatrava’s work is also known for its intricate details and ornamentation, which are often inspired by natural forms such as leaves, shells, and bones, which is pretty evident from the design choices of the AI.

The final form is perhaps the most dramatic, with a somewhat vertical design that’s still stable. In a way, crumpled paper has its own method of tipping and falling over to find equilibrium, so that plays a big role in making sure that the buildings attain some form of equilibrium and stability! Tim invoked the styles of Zaha Hadid once again, relying on the late architect’s use of organic geometry to create captivating, and sometimes structurally challenging buildings. This particular experiment highlights that, with floors that look like they’re gradually tilting the higher you climb. You can’t really fault an AI art generator for that, given that they don’t understand concepts like geometry, balance, and structural soundness. All that aside, what the AI still manages to create is beyond incredible, opening up a lot of avenues for exploration for all kinds of designers.

Hadid’s building is followed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, whose famous works include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, and the oddly appealing Dancing House in Prague. Gehry is of the opinion that straight lines are the death of art and architecture… and he tries to use them as minimally as possible, if not eliminate them entirely from his work. Looking at the base of that AI-generated building below, it seems like Midjourney may have grasped that concept. The larger vertical structure pulls more from the postmodern works of Gehry like the Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Spain, with a wraparound facade that creates a cloak of dynamism around the building itself.

After Gehry’s postmodern approach, Tim looked to Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind’s deconstructionist architectural style – a variation of postmodern architecture characterized by fragmentation and distortion. Libeskind’s work is instantly recognizable for its unique shapes and forms that often appear to be in motion, which the AI does justice to with its own image generation. If Gehry hated straight lines, Libeskind looked at them much more favorably. Sort of like if architecture met origami, this building has a distinct, edgy appeal – which does make sense in hindsight considering that the AI’s input was literally folded paper!

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An AI Designed These Sapphire and Gold Thrones and They Look Fit For A Disney Live-Action Movie

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No, this isn’t a still from an upcoming Disney movie or Narnia remake – these thrones were designed by a French digital creator by the name of Ambre, using a combination of Midjourney and Photoshop. The thrones look incredibly real, and have absolutely stunning, intricate details, using a combination of gold, sapphire, and ceramics to create a seat that’s out of this world.

Designer: Ambre (via Midjourney)

Ambre took inspiration from butterflies (the Monarch butterfly in particular) to visualize these gorgeous thrones. Each throne embraces a visually maximalist Art Noveau style, with a touch of Voronoi-inspired patterns around the butterfly’s wings. Each cell in the wing is fitted with a sapphire crystal, while the seat itself is made from gold.

It’s interesting to see how the AI works with concepts like stability, comfort, proportions, and material use. To be brutally honest, not all of those chairs look even remotely comfortable – but then, neither did the Iron Throne from GoT, considering it was forged from literal swords. With the Sapphire Butterfly Thrones, Ambre decided to explore some unique styles, like including a cushioned backrest in some, and keeping a golden butterfly body in others. Some chairs have armrests, while others don’t, and some have legs, while others have large beanbag-ish volumes resting against the floor. All the chairs embrace the idea of being stunningly royal and precious to the sight. The sapphire panels are either crystal-cut, or have cloudy details in them, looking like nebulas and galaxies in the sky. Now which king or queen doesn’t want that?!

The Sapphire Butterfly Thrones series is but one of many design series on Ambre’s Instagram. The artist experiments with unique, whimsical styles that make use of materials like gemstones, precious metals, and porcelain, creating objects that instantly transcend into the realm of haute art. You can check out Ambre’s Instagram by clicking here.

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Who Owns AI-Generated Content? Understanding Ownership, Copyrighting, and How the Law interprets AI-generated Art

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Disclaimer – This article was written considering current United States intellectual property laws as of May 2023. If you’re interested in knowing more about your country’s IP laws and view on AI, I recommend consulting a lawyer or doing some research online.

Little did Mark Zuckerberg know back in October of 2021, that the future wasn’t, in fact, the metaverse. Just months after he rebranded his entire company as Meta, putting all his bets on a virtual universe, something completely shook the foundations of that reality. OpenAI and StabilityAI both debuted their text-to-image AI art models, allowing pretty much anyone to create stunningly realistic images with just a simple text prompt. Stable Diffusion, Dall-E 2, and MidJourney suddenly became all the rage, completely creating new professions and destroying existing ones overnight. If that wasn’t enough, on roughly the 1-year anniversary of Meta’s rebrand, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT, the all-powerful AI chatbot that even had legacy companies like Google wetting the bed.

It’s now difficult to imagine a world before AI tools, and there’s obviously no going back to those days now that this Pandora’s box has been opened. The world’s changed so much in the past few months, as people have used AI-based tools to become artists, writers, coders, etc. overnight… but there’s a fundamental question to be asked and answered here – When Machines Create, Who Gets To Own It??

When Machines Create, Who Gets To Own It??

This question, like the actual origin of AI-generated content, isn’t new. Machine learning has been around for more than a decade at this point, with computers gaining intelligence through the act of data-gathering, parsing, ‘thinking’, and ‘creating’. As early as 1996, Deep Blue defeated grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a game of chess – a first for any computer. Then in 2011, IBM’s Watson supercomputer beat humans in a game of Jeopardy; and in 2015, AlphaGo beat European Go champion Fan Hui with a score of 5 to 0. Is it safe to say that computers defeated their human counterparts? Or that the engineers who created the computers were the actual victors? What about when a self-driving Tesla kills a pedestrian? Does the blame go to the AI? Or the human behind the wheel? Or Tesla’s team of engineers who built the self-driving algorithm? We’re still figuring out the answers to all those nuanced questions, although Tesla’s terms and conditions clearly outline that the company isn’t liable for anything its self-driving AI does. The liability falls upon the driver, who probably scrolled right past the terms and conditions to click on the ‘Accept’ button.

Needless to say, AI-generated accidents and AI-generated artworks are viewed differently under the law. As far as art goes, be it a video, an image, a script, a song, or any medium that the AI can work with, the (US) law is pretty straightforward – According to copyright law, only humans can be granted copyrights. If it’s created by AI, nobody can claim ownership of it or copyright it.

Interestingly enough, in 2018, the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) denied copyright to AI expert Dr. Steven Thaler for his AI-generated artwork titled “A Recent Entrance to Paradise”. Why? The examiner found no human authorship. According to the Office: “…The work could not be registered because it was made ‘without any creative contribution from a human actor.’” However, in February of 2023, graphic-novel artist Kris Kashtanova was granted copyright for their AI-generated comic book “Zarya of the Dawn” for the simple reason that there was human input in creating the entire comic book and its underlying storyline. The entire comic book was “AI-assisted” and not “AI-generated”, which is why it was eligible for copyright. The individual AI-generated images within the comic book, however, were not subject to copyright.

Zarya Of The Dawn – The first “AI-assisted” comic book to be granted Copyright

What does ‘Ownership’ even mean?

The law interprets ownership a little differently than humans do. On an interpersonal level, ownership is simple. If something belongs to me through purchase, I own it – like my phone, my watch, my shoes. The ownership is limited as a matter of speaking because even though I own my phone, I can’t repair it, modify it, or hack it without breaking certain rules, but that’s for a different discussion entirely. If something belongs to me through creation, on an interpersonal level, it’s pretty clear-cut too. I made it, it’s mine. The law, on the other hand, has three broad ways of ascribing ownership through creation – Trademark, Patent, and Copyright. Here’s how they work.

Trademark – Protects branding elements, such as names, logos, and slogans, that are used to identify a specific company or product. For example, Apple’s logo is a registered trademark that identifies the company’s products and services.

Patent – Protects new and useful inventions or discoveries, such as a new technologies or overall design. Apple has numerous patents for its various technological innovations, such as the iPhone’s multi-touch interface, and even on designs themselves, like the actual design of the iPhone.

Copyright – Protects original works of authorship, such as books, music, artwork, and even written source code/algorithms. For example, Apple owns the copyright to the software used in its products, such as the iOS operating system used in the iPhone and iPad. This means that no one else can legally copy or distribute Apple’s software without their permission.
*Patent and Trademark Offices are incredibly critical of AI being used even in documentation. Remember Dr. Stephen Thaler from earlier? Dr. Thaler developed an AI system called DABUS that could write patent applications. However, the USPTO rejected all patent applications on the grounds that they weren’t written by a human, with even the Supreme Court ruling in their favor.

In short, you could copyright an AI that you built on your own… but you can’t copyright the work generated by the AI unless there’s human effort involved in the work itself. There is, however, one small catch that most people tend to overlook… and it’s often written in the fine print of the Terms and Conditions that we agree to all too eagerly. Do companies like MidJourney, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Stability.AI have rights/access to the work created by us using their AI programs?

Does Midjourney or ChatGPT fully or partly own my work?

I’m guessing you didn’t think about that while accepting the terms and conditions. Here’s the hilarious bit. I didn’t too, and companies often bank on this ignorance. In 2012, Bruce Willis almost considered suing Apple because he realized that all the music he paid for on iTunes didn’t “belong” to him. In short, he couldn’t download it, listen to it outside Apple’s ecosystem, or gift it to his children. Even though he PAID for the music, he didn’t actually pay for the music. He paid for the ‘privilege’ of being able to listen to it… a fact he would have known if he had read the iTunes Terms and Conditions.

With programs like Midjourney, ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Stable Diffusion, the answer to the question really depends from program to program and company to company. Here’s what the Terms of Service are for all common AI programs/bots. Be ready for a lot of legal speak. There’s a TL;DR version down below in case you just want the summary, and do note – these terms and conditions are subject to change at any point in time.

  • Midjourney – The company states that “You own all Assets You create with the Services, to the extent possible under current law. This excludes upscaling the images of others, which images remain owned by the original Asset creators.” You retain ownership of the assets even if you cancel your membership, but there are two caveats.  The first – By using the Services, you grant Midjourney a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, perform, sublicense, and distribute any text or image prompts you input into the Services or assets produced by the service at your direction. Secondly, your ownership of assets is subject to additional terms if you’re an employee or owner of a company that makes more than $1 million USD a year in gross revenue, and you’re using the service on behalf of the company. If that’s true, you only own the assets under Midjourney’s Pro tier. If you are not a Paid Member, you don’t own the assets you create. Instead, Midjourney grants you a license to the assets under the Creative Commons Noncommercial 4.0 Attribution International License (the “Asset License”). Read Midjourney’s entire Terms of Service here.
  • Dall·E2 – Created by OpenAI (the same folks behind ChatGPT), Dall·E2 had incredibly strict terms up until July of 2022. The company watermarked each image with five colored swatches at the bottom right, and OpenAI was incredibly strict in enforcing the fact that the generated images DO NOT belong to you and are not meant to be treated otherwise. It wasn’t up until July 2022 that they relaxed their policies, allowing creators to commercialize their creations by selling their AI-generated art… OpenAI grants you rights to the images you create using DALL·E2, however, your prompts and artworks may be used by OpenAI to improve and maintain their services. This is also the case with ChatGPT. Read ahead to know what OpenAI says broadly in their Terms of Use across all their products.
  • ChatGPT – OpenAI looks at data through two lenses – Input and Output. You may provide input to the Services (“Input”), and receive output generated and returned by the Services based on the Input (“Output”). Input and Output are collectively “Content.” The Input you provide wholly belongs to you, as does the output, with a few disclaimers. OpenAI hereby assigns to you all its right, title and interest in and to Output. This means you can use Content for any purpose, including commercial purposes such as sale or publication, if you comply with these Terms. OpenAI may use Content to provide and maintain the Services, comply with applicable law, and enforce our policies. You are responsible for Content, including for ensuring that it does not violate any applicable law or these Terms… which loosely translates to ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. OpenAI does not hold itself responsible for any input or output that violates its terms, or the law. Read OpenAI’s entire Terms of Use here.
  • Stable Diffusion – This one’s tricky, given that Stable Diffusion is open-source and multiple companies/services are using its technology. However, with their proprietary DreamStudio AI program, StabilityAI (the company) mentions that “you own the Content that you generate using the Services to the extent permitted by applicable law.” However, given that the AI bot accepts images as input too, StabilityAI holds you responsible for ‘owning’ the images you upload onto its service, including copyrights and rights of publicity. You are responsible for the content and ensuring that it does not violate any laws or intellectual property rights. Stability and its affiliates may use the content to improve the Services and store it in a “history” section of your account for easy retrieval. Read the DreamStudio Terms of Service here.

TL;DR – All programs give you some form of right to ownership (this isn’t a copyright) to the work you create, but at the same time, they also give themselves permission to use your prompts and the resulting output in any way they choose. So be incredibly careful of the material you feed into these AI programs – especially make sure nothing you share with them is confidential or intellectual property that doesn’t belong to you.

Can someone steal my work if it’s not copyrighted?

Funnily enough, even though you’re given the right to ownership with these AI ‘generations’, the court of law doesn’t recognize it in a way that’s legally enforceable. So yes, you own the works you create, as long as you can keep them a secret and prevent them from being copied/stolen. The second you put your un-copyrighted works up in the public domain, anyone can pretty much copy it all. Your only respite in that regard, is the court of public opinion… unless there’s human intervention involved, in which case your work is eligible to be protected by copyright. The inverse is true too. You can ‘steal’ someone else’s work and modify it to an extent where the law considers it ‘your own creation’. It’s what musicians do with ‘sampling’ too, although many songs have been taken to court over possible plagiarism.

If I can’t copyright my AI-generated work? What can I do with it?

To be brutally honest, trying to copyright AI work is like trying to copyright a Starbucks order because you told the barista what you want. If all you provided were instructions, you shouldn’t be claiming any sort of credit for what the AI created… even if the basic framework of an idea belonged to you. You can, however, build on what the AI creates, treating it as a collaboration… and honestly, that’s what AI tools are all about. AI isn’t meant to replace humans, it’s meant to give humans new skills to create better work faster. It’s a means to an end, just the way Photoshop and AutoCAD replaced their manual counterparts.

To summarize, here’s the question we asked at the beginning – When Machines Create, Who Gets To Own It? Well, if the machine created it based on data from the entire internet, then the entire internet collectively has a right to access it or be inspired by it. When humans create work, they’re inspired by other work. When AI creates work, it’s merely sampling and remixing things in its dataset. So if you really want to be different, and if you really want to claim work that belongs to you, give it your own, distinct human touch!

All images in this article were created using Midjourney

The post Who Owns AI-Generated Content? Understanding Ownership, Copyrighting, and How the Law interprets AI-generated Art first appeared on Yanko Design.

Top 5 Midjourney Artists using Artificial Intelligence to push the boundaries of creativity

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I increasingly find it harder and harder to imagine a world without AI creation tools. In a matter of just a few months these tools have gone justifiably mainstream, and no matter where you look, there’s really no escaping them. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t mean to paint these tools in a bad light, because we’ve seen them be capable of creating some stunning pieces of work, whether images, text, podcasts, or even music (if you haven’t heard the AI Drake and The Weeknd collab, go do it right now)! The first industry to be truly revolutionized by AI is probably the world of art, with text-to-image models like Midjourney turning everyone into an instant artist. Art forms a backbone to many disciplines of design – architecture definitely being one of them. Today we take a look at how creatives are using AI tools to revolutionize the world of architecture by either introducing fresh perspectives into it, or by carrying architecture to other design disciplines to make something refreshingly new. Here are 5 Top Midjourney Artists who are disrupting architecture with their AI-based creations!

Hassan Ragab (@hsnrgb)

Probably the hottest name in AI art, Hassan Ragab is an Egyptian architect based out of California, with over a decade of experience in computational architecture. Ragab took the internet by storm with his AI-based creations early on, making some unusually beautiful building facades using AI text-to-image tools. Over the months, he’s also experimented with AI videos, using tools to turn human movement into architecture (Ragab captured Michael Jackson’s dance and turned each frame into a modern building. He also did a similar exercise with a ballerina’s dance). His secret sauce, however, remains the fact that along with Midjourney, he’s also using his own custom blend of AI tools by training machines on his own architectural works over the past decade. Head to his Instagram to check out some AI architectural magic!

Arturo Tedeschi (@arturotedeschi)

Tedeschi has, for years, mastered the art of algorithmic design. It’s how nature thinks and works, he says, and using algorithms is his way of imitating nature’s balance between being artistic and efficient. A master of generative design (and an author of multiple books), he’s now begun shifting his focus on training and using AI tools to create designs. Arturo’s work isn’t simply limited to architecture, as he experiments with all sorts of AI tools and disciplines. He even recreated some MET Gala looks on his Instagram using Midjourney and is a master of understanding how to use AI to get just the right desired results. Visit his Instagram page to see what he’s up to and you can even sign up for his Domestika course of using Grasshopper’s algorithms for 3D modeling.

Shail Patel (@shael.ai)

Indian-origin Architectural Designer Shail Patel (who goes by @shael.ai on the gram) has a supremely good command over Midjourney, weaving together whimsical images of bubble homes and vehicles, vivid facades for luxury brand shops, and combining art and design in unusual ways. Shail’s designs are almost always grandiose, but have an element about them that still brings a childlike curiosity, whether it’s bubble-shaped designs, or entire fashion gowns made out of greenery. Shail’s always creating vivid new pieces of work on his Instagram page.

Ulises Design Studio (@ulises.ai)

If you love Shail’s work, you’re sure to find the Ulises.AI Instagram account just as fascinating. The Berlin-based studio specializes in ideating and realizing concepts using AI, and has collaborated with ArchDaily and its subsidiary website, DesignBoom. A lot of their work exists within the realm of architecture as they explore new materials, styles, and even architectural movements by using AI. Check out their Instagram page to see the kind of world we’d live in, if the folks at Ulises had their way!

Str4ngething (@str4ngething)

The Banksy of this list, Str4ngeThing is a faceless, identity-less being (or a group of beings) that blends the lines between fashion and architecture, simultaneously merging haute style with Renaissance elements. It’s very difficult to build a “style” while using AI tools (because the AI will use its entire database to make a variety of designs across multiple styles), but Str4ngeThing does that pretty well, with this visual niche of theirs. In fact, this eclectic blend has earned them features in Vogue, Hypebeast, High Snobiety, and even on leading NFT platforms. What really sets Str4ngeThing apart from other artists on this list is their careful blend of two distinct styles that help create something totally avant-garde. In their own way, they’ve reinvented the Renaissance and Art Noveau movements, bringing AI to them. Check out their brilliant work on their Instagram account.

The post Top 5 Midjourney Artists using Artificial Intelligence to push the boundaries of creativity first appeared on Yanko Design.