I have just read an excellent blog post by Alex Luyckx that was inspired by the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence in Blogging. In it he explains how he writes his blog each week and there's not a hint of AI in sight. However, there will always be people who will think,"He's used ChatGPT to write that!" which is about as far from the truth as you can get. You can read Alex's blog post by visiting The Process of Writing Camera Reviews and dont forget to bookmark his website address as you will definitely be going back to it often if you enjoy Film Photography as much as he does.
I have enjoyed reading Alex's blogs on all things photography related since I came back to film photography in 2017. His notes and reviews on various camera, film and developer combinations are a constant source of good, honest information. He has guided many a film photographer from beginners to highly experienced professionals with his work and it's easy to see why.
That's the all important bit, it's "His Work". No Artificial Intelligence is required as Alex is very thorough in his process of creating his blog. This has inspired myself and several other photographers to start their own blogs and you tube channels and share the joy of photography with whomever wants to take a look. This continuous exchange of information from personal experience is a big part of why film photography refused to die when digital cameras rose to prominence at the turn of the 21st century.
Photographers like to show off their photos and speak fondly of their inspiration for taking them, be it in words or on video. I do it every week, it takes discipline and a lot of brain power too. Quite often I will waffle on and have to go back and edit my blog before I publish it as it can get out of control. My English tutor at college used to liken an essay to a Mini Skirt. "Keep it short enough to be interesting yet long enough to cover the subject." Thirty years that little spark of wisdom has stayed with me, despite my noggin wanting to do otherwise.
No amount of Artificial Intelligence can get close to little pearls of wisdom like that no matter how much of the internet it scrapes to plagiarise the work of folks like Alex and myself. That's the important distinction between us. AI doesn't understand emotion, context or intent. It just robs everyone and tries to put it all together. The image of thousands of Chimpanzee's hammering away on a typewriter comes to mind. Eventually they will come up with something resembling the works of William Shakespeare, but will anybody read it?
The ability to write from the heart with Emotion, Context and Integrity is a uniquely Human trait. It doesn't matter what the subject is, it could be about a piece of music you heard for the first time, a book you have read or a roll of rebranded film you gave to your ten year old grandson to help him understand much more easily how pushing film can produce a photo worthy of hanging on your wall. Artificial Intelligence simpy cannot do that. It is emotionless, without context and it is total, blatant plagiarism.
What can we do about it? There's no way the AI genie is going back in its bottle anytime soon. We could sue the creators of the programming, but the only winners there will be the lawyers who will rake in millions leaving both sides utterly exhausted physically, mentally and penniless. We fight back with Intergrity. That is the best weapon in the writer's arsenal and probably all we have against the rise of AI.
Next time you read a blog or even an opinion piece in your local newspaper (if you still have one), think about the three things I have mentioned here. Emotion, Context and Integrity. If it fails all three, it's probably plagiarised from someone like Alex or myself.
Another great blog I read regularly is written by Jim Grey. He has a list of 104 Photography related blogs you should read on his website you can visit using the link below. Both Alex and myself are humbled to be included in that list. I guarantee you will find something that moves your soul and written from the heart by a real person. Someone who will be happy you paid them a visit and connected with them in some way, no matter how deeply or small it may be. I hope you enjoy them.
Film Photography Blogs You Should Follow - Jim Grey
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