Hi, there!

After my post/email last week, someone asked me why I switched to using one of my own photos instead of a stock photo. After many years of blogging about Foreign Service life, I'm used to using either my own photos or a free, unlicensed stock photo depending on the topic. However, all the unlicensed stock photo websites I've used have become increasingly inundated with AI-generated images.

As a writer, I oppose generative AI for creative writing. There are many reasons for this, but the one I would hope most people can agree on is that it relies on the theft of authors' work without their consent or compensation. I am unaware of any generative AI model on the market today that hasn't stolen creative work, and some have argued that it would be too expensive to produce models trained ethically.

There are some authors who object to AI for writing but will happily use AI for illustrations, cover art, book promotional posters, etc. This is a double standard I don't agree with, as I believe writers and visual artists should support each other.

As someone who hopes to continue making and supporting human-made art, I try to avoid AI-generated creative work whenever possible. I would rather use bad or imperfect human art than polished AI art. I am aware that generative AI is getting integrated into almost all aspects of our digital life and the tools we use, but if I can avoid supporting the theft of human art in some small way today by using one of my own photos instead of an image generated from other artists' stolen work then I will try and do so.

I hope this clears that up for now! In the meantime, please enjoy the images in this post/email: photos from a trip we recently took to stunning Vail, Colorado.

Nicole

Disclaimer: The views expressed in my newsletter or on my website are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the United States.