The possibilities and capabilities Artificial Intelligence are endless but one of the critical elements to the adoption of AI is truly understanding the capabilities of the different models available.

There are many different Generative AI models available today but one of the most common misconceptions is looking to support automation.  Automation can offer massive time savings to companies and increase quality, but automation is just that – it helps reduce/eliminate manual steps through automation.

Specific to design, one of the frequent asks is to help generate styles based upon existing materials.  For example, take this exact floral print and apply it to this exact product.  Could AI help with this scenario?  Yes, but… generative AI is creative by its very nature so it wants to create something new even when you attempt to give it very clear guardrails.

For example, you may have an existing print like:

The options generated will vary depending upon how you’ve trained the model.  To illustrate the creative nature of generative AI, the following is an example of what you could get if you ask for a polo with that print with no/minimal training:

Could you get the generated content closer to the pattern you specified with training?  Yes!

Can you get the generated content exactly like the pattern you specified?  No.  Or at least not without a significant effort amount of training and time

If you already have artwork and want something to be exactly like you specified, it may be better to leverage automation/plugins in existing tools such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Blender, etc.

If you are looking for a solution to rapidly create multiple design options that you can then iterate on, then generative AI is the right tool to use.

If you are looking for both, then the perfect solution will be one that contains both automation capabilities as well as generative AI!