I have spent over 20 years working in graphic design and motion graphics. Lately I have also been doing a lot of doom scrolling, probably more than I should. During one of those scrolling sessions, I came across an ad for a new tool called Vibe Director (or Open Art Vibe Director, something along those lines). It lets you create Hollywood style videos using AI.
I am not a big fan of AI generated video. But watching that ad, I had to admit I was impressed.
It reminded me of when I first started using ChatGPT about three years ago. Back then it was exciting but clearly primitive. You could tell it had potential, but it still had a long way to go. Three years later, it has come incredibly far. Seeing that ad felt like a reminder, almost like the universe tapping me on the shoulder and saying: you need an exit strategy. You need to be building something of your own.
If you are an employee right now, I think this technology is genuinely unsettling. That is just my opinion. But if you think like a business owner, this is closer to Candyland. The possibilities feel endless. To be clear, I am not saying AI is great across the board, and I understand it is going to hit a lot of people hard. But for anyone who wants to change their situation, the barrier to entry has never been lower. Almost anyone can start using these tools today.
From tedious coding to a live site in an hour
I have worked with basic web development for about three years. I know some HTML and CSS, enough to build simple pages, though I never actually enjoyed coding. It was always tedious. My last web page took two weeks, maybe closer to a month, to finish.
Recently I built a new web page using ChatGPT along with some free tools available online. I had it live on the internet within an hour.
Before anyone assumes I am taking work away from web developers: I have always built my own sites and never hired a professional developer, aside from the occasional troubleshooting job on Fiverr. For someone in my position, using AI this way is simply a massive time saver.
Nineteen years left, and I can't just wait and see
It is becoming clearer by the month that I still have around 19 years left in the job market before retirement. I cannot just sit back and hope everything works out. Right now I have three business ideas in motion and three web pages in progress. My hope is that at least one of them eventually generates enough income to replace my current job.
I personally know computer engineers and coders who have lost their jobs. Just five years ago, computer engineering was considered a guaranteed path into the future. Now, seemingly overnight, a lot of those same people are scratching their heads because AI has gotten so good at coding that it is genuinely hard to believe.
I think the same shift is creeping into design. It is spreading into the space the way an infection spreads, though that might not be the best analogy. I already see it everywhere: restaurants, hostels, bars, all using AI generated visuals that tend to look the same. It is easy to spot, and honestly, a little sad. Graphic design jobs are not growing. If anything, they are shrinking. On top of that, the economy in Iceland right now is not great, and unemployment is up.
So I feel like I have to act. I cannot just sit by and do nothing.
Right now I have a kind of ominous feeling about my current work. I am on a contract gig, and I honestly do not know how long it will last. If I lost it today, I would be in real trouble. I am 48 years old, and despite my experience, I do not think I could walk into a new design job in Iceland right away.
Anyway, that is my thought for the day.