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With just a few Good Book , AI model can be prompted to create a news report , an persona , or even a short film . But grant to Weber Wong , these models are all “ made by non - creatives for other non - creatives to feel creative . ”
In other discussion , they ’re not build for actual creative professionals . That ’s something Wong is hop to change withFlora , a novel inauguration where he ’s founder and CEO .
Flora launched this week , sodding with amanifestodeclaring that “ AI creative tool should be more than toy for beget AI slop ” and describe Wong and his team as “ ghost with build a tycoon tool that will profoundly forge the future of creative body of work . ”
The manifesto set Flora as something different from existing AI tools , which “ make it well-heeled to produce , but miss creative mastery , ” and from existing originative software , which have drug user “ control , but are unintuitive & clip - consume . ”
Flora is n’t prove to build up better generative AI modelling . Wong argued that one of the startup ’s primal insights is that “ models are not creative tools . ” So instead , Flora offer an “ unnumbered canvas ” that integrates with subsist fashion model — it ’s a visual interface where users can generate pulley block of text , epitome , and video .
“ The model does not count , the engineering does not matter , ” Wong severalize me . “ It ’s about the port . ”
For instance , a substance abuser could set out by prompting Flora to make an image of a flower , then take for details about the image , with those details leading to more prompt and varied images , with each footprint and variation represent out on the aforementioned canvas , which can also be shared for collaborative work with client .
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Wong narrate me he wants Flora to be useful to any and all artist and creatives , but the company is initially focused on mould with visual designing agencies . In fact , it ’s iterating on the product with feedback from designer at famed agencyPentagram .
The finish , Wong tell , is to allow a designer at Pentagram to “ just do 100X more originative work , ” say by creating a logo design and then quickly generate 100 variant . He compared it to the development of musical composition — where Mozart “ needed an entire orchestra to play his music , ” a musician today can get it all done “ from his garage in New Jersey with Ableton , making it himself and brand it on SoundCloud . ”
Wong has a background in both art and applied science himself , having work as an investor at Menlo Ventures but entrust when he realized , “ I was not the someone I ’d back . ” shape to become the sort of founder worth investing in , he eventually joined New York University ’s Interactive Telecommunications Program , a grad political program focused on using technology to produce art .
When Flora plunge an alpha edition in August , Wong decided to “ set in motion withan art projectthat showcased our real - meter AI technology , ” with the Flora homepage register a live feed from a GoPro television camera on Wong ’s header , and site visitor getting the opportunity to use AI to conventionalize the footage after sign up for the Flora waitlist .
Given his background , Wong know there are artists and professionals who are sceptical or even vehemently counterbalance to the utilization of AI in art — in fact , Pentagramgenerated some controversylast year when it used Midjourney to create the representative style for a undertaking with the U.S. governance .
Wong enjoin that where existing models have been embraced by “ AI natives , ” he ’s hoping Flora can win over the “ AI curious , ” and eventually become utilitarian enough that even “ AI haters ” feel they have to give it a attempt .
When I raised business organization that AI models can betrained without regardfor right of first publication and rational property , Wong observe that Flora is n’t coach any AI model itself ( because it ’s using other companies ’ models ) , adding , “ We will follow societal measure . ”
And while he ’s passionate about not desire Flora to be used to loose a flood tide of AI slop ( “ We ’re go away to get hats that say ‘ anti - AI slop ’ ” ) , he suggested that instead , the startup will let artist to unlock “ new aesthetic and creative possibilities , ” in the same wayKodak ’s Brownie cameratransformed photography by making it more casual and accessible .
Flora is n’t disclosing financing details , but its angel let in a16z Games Speedrun , Menlo Ventures , and Long Journey Ventures , as well as angels from Midjourney , Stability , and Pika . The ware is uncommitted for free with a limited number of projection and mother subject matter , and then professional pricing starts at $ 16 per calendar month .
