Do you work with Graphic Recorders? Are you collaborating on using AI?

by Angelique McAlpine

Yes, this image is an AI generated QR code that I made using RunDiffusion, and I believe these custom creations will be everywhere by the time I finish writing this post.  AI is both exciting and overwhelming, and I'm gaining footing as the mountain beneath us continues to grow.

I chose to render a light bulb because it is an icon that is quickly understood and frequently used in Graphic Recording, to the point of being cliché.

How can AI enhance our uniquely human role of sensing the vibe of a conversation, the individual voices in the room, the emerging themes, synthesis of the group dynamics, and outcomes as a process evolves? Often, what is missing in a conversation is as important as what is discussed, and these omissions  become apparent when the context is established and connections are drawn.

I'm instinctively drawn to understanding the boundaries of technology and how to implement it before I start applying it to a use case. Of course, the boundaries of AI are shifting daily.

For now, I'm exploring ChatGPT, MidJourney, and RunDiffusion. I follow creators on Twitter where I find pockets of supportive learning communities.

Writing doesn't come naturally to me, so ChatGPT has been incredibly helpful in breaking my inertia when it comes to writing blog posts. Once the words are on the page, I can edit, rewrite, and repeat until I'm satisfied with the outcome.

I've used ChatGPT to distill large amounts of survey information into categories and to cross-check my interpretation of major takeaways from extensive written notes provided by a third party.

As mind-blowing as they are, exploring with visual tools like RunDiffusion and MidJourney is truly a time-suck. I spent nearly 2 hours on iterations for the lightbulb QR code before it hit me that it should link to this blog post, not the home page. A subsequent hour of iterations down the AI rabbit hole with the new URL rendered QR codes that didn't scan properly. It was time for a break.

When I went outside it was cool, rainy, muddy, damp and dark. But, the rain felt like it was dancing on my skin, the grass and flowering shrubs were fragrant, the rich smell of the wet earth was deeply satisfying, and the muted colors of the real world were a balm to my eyes, the breeze touched my skin, my boots slid and squeaked across the grass, it was a beautiful sensory experience. 

​Take that AI!

I'll continue to post my AI exploration here and on LinkedIn @angeliquemcalpine and @drawingimpact. If you'd like an alert when a new AI-specific post is published, send me an email at [email protected]. You can also find me on Twitter @drawingimpact, and I'd love to hear how you're incorporating AI into your work.