I've been thinking a lot about generative AI and its implications for news illustration. It's fascinating – and a bit daunting – to see AI's growing creative potential, something traditionally viewed as a uniquely human trait. But let's face it: the era of viewing robots merely as metallic, emotionless entities suited only for mundane tasks is over. With advancements in tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and RunwayML, AI is not just mimicking creativity but sometimes even outpacing our own imaginative capacities. As someone who had a brief stint as a graphic designer during my undergrad days, the idea that I can now prompt AI to visualize my imagination is both exciting and unsettling. It raises crucial questions for our newsrooms' talented illustrators and creative professionals. What role will generative AI play in the future? How will AI transform and enhance the creative aspects of the design work in our newsrooms?
In this week's episode, I enjoyed talking to Dr. Mario Garcia, Senior Adviser for News Design and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the CEO & Founder of Garcia Media. Mario, a news design expert, has been instrumental in shaping how news is presented on our screens. He has contributed significantly to redesigning and rethinking over 700 publications in 120 countries, including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Mario has received over 300 awards from the Society of News Design, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. He's also been honored with the Journalism Medal of Honor from the University of Missouri for Distinguished Service in Journalism, the Charles O'Malley Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and recognized by People Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States.
He is the author of 15 books. His latest, 'AI: The Next Revolution in Content Creation,' is currently available for pre-order. I had a sneak peek into the book, and it is filled with profound insights into human-AI collaboration, showcasing fascinating use cases from around the world.
So, I was excited to talk to Mario on the show. 🎧 You can listen to this podcast episode on your preferred podcast platform.
Here are the top insights I took away from this episode:
1️⃣ AI as a Collaborative Force in Visual Storytelling: Mario sees AI as a dynamic partner for designers and illustrators, offering new avenues for creativity and innovation. Whether generating layout templates, suggesting color schemes, or inspiring fresh visual concepts, AI is revolutionizing the creative design workflow. This collaboration allows human designers to focus on adding unique, creative touches that AI cannot replicate – the human emotion and storytelling aspect in visuals.
2️⃣ The Art of Prompting AI: A central theme in our discussion was the crucial role of prompt engineering. Mario emphasized that AI's effectiveness largely depends on the specificity and detail of our prompts. For leaders, this means helping your team develop a new skill set centered around interacting with AI effectively. It is important to invest in training sessions or workshops to ensure everyone can leverage AI's capabilities fully.
3️⃣ Prepping Journalism Students for an AI-Driven Future: Mario highlighted a crucial point about journalism education. Students graduating this spring are stepping into a world where AI isn't just a tool – it's a collaborator. As he said in the episode, "You're not training your student; you're training this student and the robot that goes with him or her." He's adapting his teaching methods for his course at Columbia to prepare students for this new reality, emphasizing the importance of mastering AI communication.
Excitingly, I experimented with OpenAI's latest updates to create a custom GPT for this episode. If you're subscribed to ChatGPT Plus, you can interact with it for more insights. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with this GPT, so please reply to this email or drop a comment below. I'll walk through all the big updates from OpenAI, use cases for how to use it, and show you how to set up your own GPT over the next couple of weeks. So make sure you're subscribed!
Finally, I'm thrilled to announce that Newsroom Robots has partnered with Jeremy Caplan's WonderTools to introduce the 'Generative AI for Media Professionals Masterclass.'
This course, co-taught with Jeremy – the Director of Teaching and Learning at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and the voice behind the WonderTools newsletter – is designed to empower media professionals to harness generative AI effectively. It builds on the experiences from previous Generative AI workshops I've conducted at prestigious institutions, including the University of Toronto, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and the International Center for Journalists. Be the first to know when we open registration by signing up now.
Dr. Mario Garcia: How AI is Unleashing New Creative Potentials in Journalism