I used just one image created with Midjourney in a blog post. It was a fun process, but the images themselves are of poor quality and contain random elements that don't make sense. With Midjourney, you can get four square images as output and ask it to regenerate different versions of each. I was frustrated because I thought I wouldn't be able to make small changes to the images I liked, or that Midjourney would only generate square images, which weren't what I needed for my blog post.
I later found out that adding image dimensions to the prompt creates a non-square image. While researching this article, I learned that Midjourney released a repair feature in his late August 2023 that allows you to select parts of an image and edit them individually. This is what happens when technology is used by non-technical people. You can't blame the AI.
The most controversial subscription I'm willing to pay for is ChatGPT+, which costs $20 a month. ChatGPT recently surpassed 100 million active users and has completely changed the AI ​​landscape. Almost every writer I know uses his ChatGPT, but it's amazing how many writers publicly mock it, just not for writing purposes.
By definition, ChatGPT's output is “based on existing data and programmed algorithms” and cannot be used for truly creative work. You can only summarize, extract, copy, and paste. I use it to learn the basics about the concepts, devices, eras, or events I write about, and use that basic description as a starting point for my research. I use ChatGPT to find synonyms and alternatives for entire phrases. You can search using very specific prompts rather than simple keywords or terms, allowing you to quickly narrow down research studies and articles. Unfortunately, ChatGPT's knowledge data is out of date, so you won't find the latest research. I like it for brainstorming titles and chapter/section headings. It's also great for checking title capitalization and correct citation formatting. In other words, ChatGPT is a one-stop assistant rather than switching between Google, thesaurus, research databases, and CMOS formatting tools.
As a ghostwriter, I regularly record interviews with authors to gather content for their books, so I started using Otter.ai to transcribe these calls. Transcripts are generally good, but the technology is flawed, you keep signing in and out, and even the paid version can only transcribe up to 90 minutes at a time. Even worse, Otter joins the meeting even if you don't. This is the default setting, and even if you disable it, you may still run into issues with this feature and see Otter Assistant appear without being invited. By default, the platform will email a transcript to all meeting participants and also invite you to start a free trial. This made some of my clients uncomfortable. I'm still looking for the perfect automatic tool that records video and audio separately and provides a transcript without causing creepy AF.
My initial FOMO ended up costing me a lot of time and money, but it also gave me some clarity. I like to sit at a cool table, but I've found that I care more about looking like myself than I do about looking like I have less visible pores. I trust my own opinions more than ChatGPT's editorial content. You should too. Not everything needs to be captured, as Otter's CEO claims. In fact, it's the fleeting nature of unrecorded moments that makes me feel most alive. But that doesn't mean we'll ever get tired of learning about the latest AI tools that promise the closest thing to magic we've ever seen.
So here's a super official ranking of all the tools I've used so far.
- Most ridiculous: Aragon.AI for headshot
- Most expensive: Ad creative AI For advertising and social posts
- Most valuable: Kamba to design something
- It works most of the time to get the right output. The middle of a journey
- Most problematic and frustrating: Otter.AI
- Most consistent usage: Chat GPT
After backing up my vacation snapshots as profile pictures, I called a friend who is always on the lookout for the best angles while capturing my most recognizable expressions.
Apparently, she is employed as a photographer.