Photographers and Promptographs

[ACEkin]

This morning, I published a new article on how AI bots generate shallow articles and images that I called "promptographs." Here is the link in case you may be interested, with a fair warning that none of the images, like the one below, is a photograph:

Photographers and Promptographs

Question the sensibility of creating content, verbal or visual, about a photographer or locations with no connection to reality, with distinctly artificial nature

www.keptlight.com

 

[SwampGrizz]

Wow….
Having an AI model critique its own article is brilliant. Very well done. The “promptographs” are kind of scary. I’m going to have to think about this for a while.

 

[Dean Wilson]

Agreed

 

[SwampGrizz]

Cemal,
To quote your article:
“Photorealism and long, articulate text may create the illusion of authority which AI systems lack. In fact, that false sense of authority is probably a part of their architecture.”

To me, this is the scariest part. These AI models are accepted by a lot of folks who are too lazy to dig out facts on their own or lack the capacity for critical thinking and analysis. The unquestioning acceptance of this false authority is leading us down a very bad road.

I’m going to go hide under the bed.

 

[ACEkin]

Courtesy of Grok.com

Prompt: "Create a landscape photograph after the style of deanwilsoncanby"

Here's a landscape photograph created in the style of Dean Wilson (@deanwilsoncanby):

A moody Pacific Northwest scene near the Oregon coast or Willamette Valley area, captured with a mix of thoughtful composition and subtle analog-inspired character.

The image features a dramatic, windswept coastal headland or river valley at golden hour transitioning into dusk. In the foreground, there's a gnarled, weathered tree (perhaps a dead or twisted oak/ironwood-like form) leaning into the frame from the lower left, providing strong leading lines and a sense of scale and impermanence. The middle ground shows layered hills or eroded bluffs with soft textures and earthy tones, while the background reveals a misty horizon where the Columbia River or coastal fog meets the sky.

The color palette is naturalistic yet atmospheric — muted greens, deep earth tones, and warm golden light fading into cool blues and purples, with gentle vignetting and a touch of film-like grain or softness in the highlights. The composition emphasizes mood and a "sense of place" over perfect symmetry: slightly unconventional framing, strong atmospheric perspective, and a painterly quality that makes the landscape feel timeless and contemplative rather than overly dramatic or oversaturated.

It has that signature Dean Wilson blend — part documentary landscape, part artistic interpretation — with respect for natural light, texture, and the quiet beauty of the Pacific Northwest or desert-influenced scenes he often shoots.

Dean, as I raised the question in the article, what is the point of creating this image via AI? It is separated from light, location, and reality, although it may look realistic. It misses your footprints, in my opinion. Of course, to each his/her own! BTW, I tried your prompt on Grok and got a different image, followed by expanded text on the specified style. But, clearly, it is not your photograph.

 

[ACEkin]

Cemal,
To quote your article:
“Photorealism and long, articulate text may create the illusion of authority which AI systems lack. In fact, that false sense of authority is probably a part of their architecture.”

To me, this is the scariest part. These AI models are accepted by a lot of folks who are too lazy to dig out facts on their own or lack the capacity for critical thinking and analysis. The unquestioning acceptance of this false authority is leading us down a very bad road.

I’m going to go hide under the bed.

Indeed, Dale. When you ask a simple question, these LLM engines give you five paragraph answers to seduce you to accept their authority. Despite their apparent vast expanse of coverage, they have no knowledge. When they make a mistake, they never call it a mistake but try to find excuses for the wrong answer. In the worst case, they hide behind the word "hallucination." All these combined can and do fool many to accept the answers as accurate, correct, and trustworthy. Just be prepared when you use these bots. And, don't hesitate to challenge them.

 

[Bryan Conner]

Excellent article Cemal, and an especially interesting experiment. It reinforces what I am slowing beginning to think about AI. AI is short for Almost Intelligent.