DALLE-2: The Future of AI-Generated Images and Its Implications on Creativity

In the world of artificial intelligence (AI), OpenAI has always been a leader in advancing the field. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at one of their groundbreaking creations: DALLE-2. This powerful generative model has the potential to transform the way we perceive and create visual content.

In this post, we’ll cover:

1. What is DALLE-2 and how does it work?
2. How to use DALLE-2 for image generation
3. Implications of AI-generated images on creativity
4. The limitations of DALLE-2 and future prospects

What is DALLE-2 and how does it work?

DALLE-2 is a generative model developed by OpenAI, an evolution of the original DALLE model. It generates images from textual descriptions, enabling it to create unique and often stunning visuals just by processing a few words or phrases.

DALLE-2 leverages a transformer architecture, similar to that of GPT-4, but tailored for visual content. It consists of an encoder-decoder structure, where the encoder processes the input text and the decoder generates images based on that textual information. The model has been pre-trained on vast amounts of image-text data, allowing it to generate images that closely match the given text descriptions.

How to use DALLE-2 for image generation

Let’s dive into how to use DALLE-2 to generate images using Google App Script. For this, we’ll first need to enable the OpenAI API. If you haven’t already set up the API Key, you can find instructions on how to set it up here.

We will also need to make sure we have a Google Drive Folder set up and have the folder ID ready for the script below. If you aren’t sure how to do that, you can find instructions here.

Finally, try to think of a creative prompt to generate an image!

With all that set up, let’s get started!

1. Create a new Google Sheets document.
2. Click on Extensions > Apps Script to open the script editor.
3. Replace the content of Code.gs with the following code (replace the API key, the Google Drive Folder ID, and your prompt in the first three lines of the function):

function generateImageWithDALLE() {

      //Make sure to set these first.
      var openAIAPIKey = "<INSERT OPEN AI API KEY HERE>";
      var folderId = "<INSERT FOLDER ID HERE>";
      var prompt = "<INSERT PROMPT FOR IMAGE GENERATION HERE>"

      //The Image Title and Image Name are slightly different as you can see below.
      var imageTitle = "Set Image Name"
      var imageName = imageTitle+".png"

      var url = 'https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations';
      var headers = {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + openAIAPIKey
      };
      var data = {
        'model': 'image-alpha-001',
        'prompt': prompt,
        'num_images': 1,
        //Change this if you want to change the size
        'size': '512x512',
        'response_format': 'url'
      };
      var options = {
        'method' : 'post',
        'headers' : headers,
        'payload' : JSON.stringify(data)
      };

      var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options);
      var imageUrl = JSON.parse(response.getContentText()).data[0].url;

      var folder = DriveApp.getFolderById(folderId);
      var blob = UrlFetchApp.fetch(imageUrl).getBlob();
      folder.createFile(blob.setName(imageName));
}

Great! Now that we have run that, we should be able to go back to the Folder on Google Drive that has the folder ID and find the image we just generated!

Implications of AI-generated images on creativity

AI-generated images, such as those produced by DALLE-2, have the potential to revolutionize the way we think about creativity in the digital age. Here are some notable implications:

1. Efficient content creation: DALLE-2 can generate unique images in a matter of seconds, significantly reducing the time and effort required to create visual content.
2. Infinite possibilities: With just a few words as input, DALLE-2 can generate images that push the boundaries of human imagination, opening up endless creative possibilities.
3. Personalization: AI-generated images can cater to individual preferences, allowing for personalized experiences in various fields, including art, advertising, and entertainment.
4. Empowering non-designers: DALLE-2 can democratize the creation of visual content, enabling people without design skills to create compelling visuals.

The limitations of DALLE-2 and future prospects

While DALLE-2 is an impressive achievement, it has its limitations:

1. Control over generated content: The generated images may not always align with the desired outcome, requiring multiple attempts to get satisfactory results.
2. Ethical concerns: The potential misuse of AI-generated images, such as creating fake news or deepfakes, raises ethical concerns.
3. Computational resources: DALLE-2 requires considerable computational power, which could limit its accessibility.

Despite these limitations, the future of AI-generated images is bright. As research in AI continues to advance, we can expect improvements in control, ethics, and computational efficiency. These advancements will only further expand the creative possibilities unlocked by models like DALLE-2.