Production Report #3

CONCEPT OVERVIEW:

I will be exploring the general idea of how AI has affected the landscape of professional industries. The project will involve me creating 3 AI-assisted artworks and having in-depth conversations about them with 3 individuals all from different backgrounds and interests.

 

My focus this week is to share my progress to date and what is ahead for me in the upcoming weeks. I really appreciate all of those who have left me valuable insights and suggestions for the project I am pursuing. This week’s update will hopefully answer some of the questions regarding what my goal is and how I will proceed in accomplishing it.

Sometimes, things don’t work out as planned. This was one of those weeks. One of my participants can no longer be involved due to personal health-related issues. Fortunately, I have found a suitable replacement, a healthcare marketing professional. I find it interesting how this process is unfolding for me as in a recent meeting with one of my two project advisors, John, I learned that one of the industries affected by AI the most is marketing. So, I think this new participant will work out as well. 

 

After reviewing the much-welcomed feedback, I realized I needed to narrow my focus and aspects of this project a bit. More specifically, I had to reconnect with the purpose of my project and what I was really trying to get out of this. AI is such a broad topic that can go in several different ways. I initially came into this project with an open mind which also meant that I wasn’t so sure what information I will find from it. However, I always had an idea from the start as to what my process is, albeit research and experimental in nature. This is what interested me in the first place - the opportunity to find out more about what AI is, its capabilities and potential. As much as this is a project to present my findings, it’s also my own discovery of a field I have never set foot in.

 

As I mentioned, I was able to meet with my advisor John on 2/12. He provided me with a lot of great informational resources to consider as part of my research about the evolution of AI. This included a lot of informational studies regarding social impact. After this meeting, I felt that I needed to go back to the drawing board in a way to reframe my schedule and refine the purpose so I can produce the outcomes that I hope for. It is clear and vital that I narrow my focus in order for me to get the most out of time spent with my participants. I’ve revamped my schedule to accurately reflect what my schedule looked like previously and what I want to accomplish in the future given what I know now since the project started. 

 

John did recommend me valuable resources including the Heilmeier Catchism Questions, Data and Society podcasts, Georgetown Uni CSET reports, and AI Rise Management Framework are amongst the ones he named. There is no doubt I have a lot to juggle in the coming weeks.

 

My other advisor Aaron gave me some great technical advice and suggested numerous AI programs to use. I will have to meet again with him for my second session so that I can show him what I’m trying to do with my project and hopefully give me some program suggestions that may help me out.

 

To conclude, I will address the feedback that I have received.

-       I am thinking about making some sort of engaging presentation that is along the lines of a PowerPoint. I am in the process of considering how it will look and what it will include. This might end up being my project deliverable.

-       As noted in previous blogs, I will be creating three separate mini projects within this project, for 3 professionals from 3 different industries. All these projects will be completed with the assistance of AI and are specifically designed for each professional as follows:

o   Creating several generative AI artworks (ex. creating an AI image that imitates street photography)

o   Making different types of videos using AI animation tools (ex. taking a still AI generated image and turning it into a moving photo.)

o   Utilizing a chatbot to write documents emulating techniques used in marketing. (Testing the AI’s ability to copy write for a website)

 

AI might feel relatively new to the public, but it has been in continuous development for decades. It is only really making headlines now due to the public’s ability to grasp the concept of artificial intelligence in a general and simple way. This is a new field that I have never explored before so it can be overwhelming at times to process the information that is available. Its evolution has been fast, and it does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. I hope that in the coming weeks my focus has become laser sharp so that I can efficiently work on this without being overwhelmed.

 

 

Advisors:

 

Aaron Austin - Technical Advisor

-       Will reach out again to discuss 2^nd meeting.

John Garafolo – Technical Social Impact Advisor

-       Completed a meeting on 2/12.

 

Participants:

 

 Replacement of original Participant #1 – Healthcare Marketing Campaign Manager

-       Contacted him to ask if he was interested and able to participate.

-       Awaiting meeting time and date.

Participant #2 – Lawyer/Photographer

-       Communicated with projected date for his participation.

-       Awaiting confirmed meeting time and date.

 Participant #3 – Psychobiology/Post-Production Film Editor

-       Communicated with projected date for his participation.

-       Awaiting confirmed meeting time and date.

 

Currently Planned Schedule:

Week 1 (1/22 – 1/28):            Research AI current events

Week 2 (1/29 – 2/4):              Contact advisors and participants

Week 3 (2/5 – 2/11):              Experiment with AI Programs

Week 4 (2/12 – 2/18):            Reframe my focus for this project.

Week 5 (2/19 – 2/25):            Read resources and develop AI Mini Projects.

Week 6 (2/26 – 3/3):              Continue to develop projects and work on interview questions.

Week 7 (3/10 – 3/17):            Complete all interviews with all participants.

Week 8 (3/18 – 3/24):            Continue to complete all interviews with all participants.

Week 9 (3/25 – 3/31):            Take the work, assess, and further research the information given.

Week 10 (4/1 – 4/7):              Compile all the work and build a presentation format.

Week 11 (4/8 – 4/14):            Continue to work on presentation and make revisions.

Week 12 (4/15 – 4/21):          Review one last time before final submission.

 

GfG. “What Is Artificial Intelligence?” GeeksforGeeks, GeeksforGeeks, 15 Sept. 2023, www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-artificial-intelligence/.