A curious case of supporting the creative community while pulling the rug out from under it.
I've got to say, Projx2Print has achieved something remarkable. They've managed to simultaneously position themselves as supporters of artists and the creative community while embracing AI technology that threatens to eliminate some of the very creative jobs those artists depend on.
That's quite a balancing act. Almost as impressive as a man successfully wearing a three-piece suit while riding a unicycle through a fireworks factory.
Look, I understand that AI is here. Technology changes. Businesses want to work faster, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Fine. Nobody is asking anyone to return to the days of carving business cards into stone tablets.
But there's a difference between using AI as a tool that assists creative professionals and enthusiastically embracing technology that can replace those professionals--while simultaneously telling everyone how much you support artists and the creative scene.
And then there's the argument that because the company is successful, the current approach should essentially remain unquestioned.
Well, that's one strategy.
By that logic, if the Titanic had successfully sold enough tickets, we should have simply congratulated the iceberg on participating in a thriving maritime economy.
Success is not necessarily evidence that a business model is good for the people and creative community surrounding it. Sometimes success means you have enough leverage to ask whether the status quo deserves to be preserved.
The irony is especially difficult to ignore when graphic designers and production artists are part of the actual workforce involved in producing the creative work. Projx2Print has even employed production artists with formal graphic-design backgrounds.
So my question is simple:
If you genuinely support artists and the creative community, what does that support look like when the technology you're adopting can make their jobs less necessary?
AI doesn't have to be the enemy. But neither should human creativity become the disposable middleman between a prompt and a finished product.
I'd have a lot more respect for the position if it were simply: "AI is changing the industry, we're going to use it, and we're going to figure out how to make money with it."
At least that's honest.
But claiming to champion the creative community while embracing technology that threatens the livelihoods of creatives--and then using business success as an argument for maintaining the status quo--feels a little like applauding the orchestra while simultaneously replacing the musicians with a Spotify playlist.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we in the broadcasting business call mixed messaging.
I'm Ron Burgundy.
And you stay classy, San Diego. read more