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points by pronik 3 days ago | 0 comments

Whenever someone complains about AI-generated images being everywhere, I try to remind people about WordArt and cliparts (especially the lightbulbs and the ones called "screen beans", never knew that name, thanks Claude for finding that particular tidbit) being absolutely everywhere back then. I consider our timeline vastly superior, but I understand how people may think differently and how anything from thirty years ago can invoke nostalgia, for better or for worse.

[–] 5040 3 days ago

I think about this sometimes. In the golden age of the clipart, every utility pole had some. Lost dogs, yard sales, babysitting services. You name it. If the complaint with AI is that it requires little effort or skill to use, and replaces the work of an artist, why was there no pushback against clipart?

[–] pronik 3 days ago

There has been a lot of pushback from the professionals, just like typesetters were horrified by all the word processing normal people have done over decades. The correct question is rather, will we have the same sort of nostalgia five years down the road and I think we most certainly will.

[–] tokai 3 days ago

I remember a lot of critique of clipart and the general atrocious amateur graphic design of the time (funeral invitations in comic sans and such). Tufte said PowerPoint Is Evil in 2005 and there was a whole public discussion of the ills of the ms office tools and their negative impact on communication.