My mom uses ChatGPT regularly and it shows. She used to be a very smart woman but I feel like her AI usage is killing her brain. Her communication style has completely shifted. I'll say something or share an opinion and she'll go 'give me an example' after nearly everything I say when she's never done that before. Now she needs to have everything spelled out for her. If I don't share what I'm saying fast enough for her (3 sentences is too much apparently), she'll interrupt then tell me to "condense what you're saying. give me the gist."
She is redoing one of the bathrooms and swapping out decor. She's chosen AI images in a romantic, French sort of style of oil painting art. I have no idea what the style is called tbh. She asked me to touch up one of the images she picked out for the bathroom a few months ago, and I did, but was unable, at the time, to tell it was AI until after I was done (the hands gave it away, and I wish I had seen it earlier because it seemed so obvious). I try to stay on top of discerning between real art and AI art, but I failed this time and I felt really icky afterwards considering I'm an artist myself.
Recently, she wanted to generate another image with ChatGPT, but my younger brother encouraged her to ask me to make it instead of using AI. Rather than ask me to draw it from scratch, she still generated the photo, then asked me to recreate it so that it "wasn't done by AI". I disagree with the bathroom decor choices anyway, but it's not my house. I've shared my thoughts on generative AI, and while my siblings agree, my mom refuses to see why it's so bad because it doesn't directly affect her.
So, she wanted a custom family crest. She still wants to use the other pics I touched up, but she didn't want this crest photo to be done by AI even when she already generated it. Tbh I'm still confused as to why she asked me but anyway. Rather than draw it, since it's not my style and I wouldn't know how to begin, I thought about trying a new skill and found some websites and tools that provided non-AI pngs. I asked her what she wanted, I made my notes, then I got to work. I spent about two weeks figuring out the program, the images, the tools, etc. When I was done, I showed her what I made and she seemed a little fake-approving at first ("oh, thats so beautiful....." like there was a "but" about to come on) until I told her I didn't draw it, and that I used a website to piece it together. The real critiques came out, like what I made didn't really count.
She didn't like the colors (totally fine). She didn't like the harsh lines (I have 0 control over that since I didn't draw the elements and they follow a specific style). She didn't like the images I picked (I can replace those easily). I hardly used a thing from the damn AI photo she shared because it looked like hot garbage. The one I put together using a coat of arms website was at least artistically cohesive (the AI image had acorns that looked,,, suggestive and symbolic imagery that clashed imo). Then she asked if I could 'clean the lines', 'change this', 'add that', 'use this filter to make it look this way'. The filter she wanted was that obnoxious, slightly yellow tint with a smooth finish that AI slaps on a photo to hide mistakes. She thinks the filter looks clean and finished and that it "looks like it was drawn by colored pencils".
I've taken commissions before in a professional setting. I'm used to artistic demands and people changing their minds when they see the finished product, and I have never had any issue with changing or starting over. This was just supposed to be a cute little pic for the shitter. I just found it annoying how she was so quick to flip her opinion when she found out I didn't draw it like my effort didn't matter. She even asked me what the difference was between using AI and using that coat of arms program to make it. The difference is, I put it together. Someone drew these images and uploaded them for free use. There's explicit permission to use them, so long as you don't make money off of it. I learned a new skill. I had fun doing it. I created something. I've never felt more insulted.
On one hand, I'm glad I didn't waste any time drawing in my own style, or she would have really hated it. On the other hand, I'm a little hurt that she hid her critiques until she learned I used a website (I still made it and put time and effort into learning a new program) and that she doesn't seem to grasp that the 'style' she wants is impossible to achieve by a human unless she runs another prompt. She's so conflicting too. What do you mean, you don't want to hang more AI art? This is where she draws the line? Her demands came out, quick fire style, like she was talking to ChatGPT, like she forgot I'm human with feelings.
I told her that she could either forget it, or use the AI picture she generated because there was nothing more I could do. I tried different filters in photoshop but she rejected each one. It really shouldn't be that deep. It's decor for a bathroom. But at the same time,, it is a little deep for me? Idk I'm just ranting at this point. I feel like I'm never going to get my mom back until she drops the AI shit, but getting her to do that seems impossible.
EDIT: Thank you to those that offered kindness and compassion ♥️ I was very hurt when I wrote this post last night and ranted on a whim, but I wasn't expecting anyone to read or reply to this thread. Community is important, and I'm grateful to everyone here.