The AI is already shaking the grounds of visual arts, raising questions about artistic democracy, authenticity, ownership, and censorship. In the world of Architecture, the challenges are slightly different. As yet (till this article is written), there isn’t a direct implementation method to the current practice other than using AI tools (such as Midjourney, DALL·E 2, and Stable Diffusion) as a fast conceptualization/sketching medium, broadening the imagination of architects and designers. Hassan Ragab is an interdisciplinary designer with an architectural and computational design background who is highly interested in visual arts. He reviewed his experience using AI text-to-image generators for Parametric Architecture, which started about two months ago, focusing on Midjourney as the primary tool. He is currently using it to generate digital art.
Midjourney is an AI text-to-image diffusion model hosted on a Discord server. It works by inputting textual descriptions or prompts. Primary settings like these prompts (aspect ratio, how much the AI can get creative by ignoring parts of your text, etc.) can be adjusted. The AI bot then will take less than a minute (depending on the mode you are on and the server status) to produce four variations. You then can expand on any of these four results by upscaling or creating more variations (of course, there are more technicalities to prompt craft which everyone is still exploring).
Having a solid opinion about this tool is such a complex endeavor; being in the middle of exploring a tool that itself is in its infancy and evolving at such an unprecedented pace is no easy task.
Although current Midjourney models lack personal stylization tools. There is an ongoing effort to make a holistic model that combines the features of all the models. As seen in their latest V4 model, which focuses more on creating photorealistic results “probably through macro sampling”. However, one issue with the new model is that it removes much of the “artistic vibes” from the image. Also, the recent remaster tool allows the regeneration of V3-generated images using V4 new capabilities. Hassan Ragab mentioned that he doesn’t like the V4 model. He believes that the models will be developed between creativity and photorealism. It is also worth noting that other AI tools offer more smart post-processing features. An example is the new Outpainting tool in DALL·E 2. He had the chance to try Outpainting in Midjourney outputs. He mentioned that he was genuinely impressed by the outcome.
To conclude, regardless of the ongoing debates and the apocalyptical flags, he believes that AI tools are here to stay. It is already changing the creative world as we know it and loudly knocking on the architectural practice’s door. An excellent race in developing these tools is happening at an incredible pace. Artworks are attracting almost everyone, changing what we know about creativity and making many acquired skills obsolete. He is hopeful about how these tools will change us for the better—these tools are perceived as two-edged weapons, requiring us to be considerate. According to Hassan Ragab, We should be critical about our ways when dealing with said tools. We should always keep an open mind to what’s new while being aware and prepared for the coming shift, or else we will perish as creators.
Hassan Ragab is an Egyptian interdisciplinary designer with an architectural background living in Southern California. His experiences vary between architectural construction, exhibition design, product, furniture design, textile design, and digital art. His work is better associated with computation, experimentation, digital fabrication, and exploring visual relationships between architecture, heritage, and arts through artificial intelligence.
Hassan Ragab is lecturing at Computational Design: NEXT 11 on 8-9th October 2022. Register for the program to learn more about Hassan Ragab’s works, and more! Computational Design: NEXT 11 brings together pioneers and professionals from all industries to meet and discuss new emerging technologies in art, architecture, design, and manufacturing.
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© 2022 ParametricArchitecture. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. PA may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of PA Ad Choices.
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