AI as a support tool - part 2
Beyond the image
Part 1 of this discussion highlighted the ability of AI to perform analysis of an individual image. while this is compelling in itself, there are benefits to be gained by using the tool otherwise. Here are two other options I feel may be helpful
Website analysis
Research
Website analysis
Test 1 - analysis of a specific gallery
On occasion it may be useful to understand the style and content of a particular website, or even a portfolio within. In this example I chose a specific gallery from the photographer Christophe Jacrot. This gallery was selected intentionally, as it is devoid of text that might give clues to the content.
In this example ChatGPT appears to have pulled information from external sources to create a narrative that describes the style of the content.
Test 2 - analysis of a full website
The next example is a review of my own website as a whole (I have included only a partial screenshot for the sake of brevity).
It can be seen that ChatGPT has done a pretty good job of building a story with information analyzed from the site. However, the random selection of thumbnails - including an incorrect portrait of the photographer (an imposter!) - suggests that the tool pulled data from sources beyond the site itself.
This likely stems from how the prompt was structured, leading the AI to reference external information. This theory is reinforced by the inaccurate description of the "in the round" technique, which clearly originated from elsewhere on the web.
A more focused prompt, such as “Describe the work and style of the site alanbrownphotography.com”, yields results more closely aligned with the website’s actual content.
Why does analyzing a personal site matter? The chatbot compiles and relays the information it extracts during its scan, the same kind of overview others might receive when searching for your work.
It’s also clear that keywords describing your work (e.g., ICM, impressionistic, experimental) play a crucial role in how your site is indexed and discovered by those seeking specific styles. Understanding how AI interprets your site may become increasingly important as its adoption grows.
Note that a request made through ChatGPT differs from a standard web search, which typically provides literal snippets of related content. In contrast, ChatGPT offers a much broader interpretation, analyzing and summarizing information in a more contextual manner.
2. Research
Falling back to what might be considered the primary function of ChatGPT, using the query function of the tool can be beneficial to our research.
Below is a quick example of what AI has to offer. With a personal interest in how motion of the human form can be presented, I entered a question to identify photographers worthy of research. While the same query could be made in a browser search, my (limited) testing has shown that ChatGPT provides a much more accurate and relevant response.
While some of the suggested photographers were familiar to me, many were not - allowing new avenues for exploration.
Start of query capture
End of query capture
Conclusion
The continuous development of AI provides photographers with opportunities to streamline their workflow, enhance creativity, and expand the boundaries of their craft. AI-powered image analysis, for example, offers objective feedback, helping photographers refine their work and explore new artistic directions.
As AI evolves, staying informed about updates that can enhance our work is essential. Rather than fearing it as a replacement, we should embrace it as a collaborative tool that complements our creative vision.
Perhaps others have found uses for AI that I haven't considered. If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts.