The year 2022 will be remembered for many things, some good, and some bad. In the good corner, albeit a small corner and shrinking it seems, this year has been a boon for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the tools it has spawned.

It wasn’t that long ago that we were only reading about these tools with a couple of notable projects going into beta like DALL-E and Midjourney. Now there are many choices out there from free to not-so-free to downright expensive.

While the Luddites, naysayers, and handwringers are wrestling with legal and ethical aspects, the rest of us are having fun creating art we never even imagined. While it is true that AI poses a threat to the livelihoods of digital artists it is not any different than other vocations that faced disruption from new developments. Time to adapt to the new norm and work AI into our workflows.

The art of the prompt is here to stay… or should I say, “prompt artist”. While it’s true that many people can generate art with AI not everyone has the skills to further enhance the art and call it their own. AI at this point is just another tool in the toolbox. It just happens to be a tool that, like the computer or smartphone, you need to master to a certain degree to survive going forward.

Get onboard or get out of the way as it were. Those of us that are Boomers are very familiar with evolving our skillset and toolbox as we have seen many things come and go since the advent of the personal computer. Fine artists weren’t too happy with us way back when. Kind of like the way some digital artists feel about Prompt Artists now.

Regardless of where you stand on AI art, you should at least dip a toe in the digital water to see what it’s all about if you haven’t already.  Below you will find a list of AI generators and tools in no particular order. Some are free, some have free options, and some will make your head hurt just trying to understand their “unit” of charge whether it be electrical or piecemeal.

I hope this list will get you started on what may become a long journey as we see what the future holds for the lords of Artificial Intelligence. Unless you are just dead set against it then you might as well see what its all about and even if you are stone-cold about AI… try it anyway.

Sneak up to the attic, down to the basement, into the closet (metaphorically) or wherever you are safe from prying eyes and do some of this AI stuff. I promise we won’t tell anyone.  

M.D. McCallum, aka WarLord, is an international award-winning commercial graphics artist, 3D animator, published author, project director, and webmaster with a freelance career that spans over 20 years.  Now retired, M.D. is currently working part-time on writing and select character development projects. You can learn more about MD on his website.