But nearly three years later, erasing objects from your photos is one of the most basic AI tricks modern phones can do. On the other hand, adding stuff to your photos to create a whole new image wasn’t really part of the equation until more recently. But this has changed!
Samsung’s new “Sketch to Image” algorithm (part of Galaxy AI) understands what you’re trying to draw and generates original images in different styles that you can use in your projects. It’s as simple as that.
Sketch to Image: The pros and cons of Samsung’s unbelievable generative AI depend on how you use it
Take the photos with “pets” in them. While the one with the guy holding an AI-generated cat at the mall could do with better lighting and shadows (on the cat), I’d bet money most people wouldn’t be able to tell he’s holding a nonexistent cat. And that’s if you think to check the photo for AI in the first place.
However, the other two cat images (eyepatch cat and posing cat) look absolutely indistinguishable from legit photos (to me).
Sure, the fact that (for whatever reason) a cat is wearing an eyepatch is a whole different mystery to be solved, but that’s not the point here.
The focus should be on how realistic Sketch to Image is. And we’re talking high-res images here. Imagine if you looked at a slightly pixelated, slightly noisy version of the same “photo” – you’ll never be able to tell it’s fake.
Apart from the UFO prank (unless you do believe in aliens!), the rest of the Sketch to Image edits are also super realistic. Particularly the one with the fake “Y-A” print on the guy’s shirt, and the freakish “boat on fire” (courtesy of Michael Fisher), which is where Samsung’s AI gets pretty… scary.
Note: I added a little bit of artificial noise to the “burning boat” image just to prove a point. While the original edit looked a bit “too perfect”, the added noise easily makes the imperfections much harder to see.
And again, this is a high-res image you can zoom in and examine closely. But what if it was a low-res screenshot!
The good: Samsung’s Sketch to Image is the most fun and (potentially) most productive new AI feature on Android
- Sketch to Image will be incredibly useful for creatives who want to generate original images but don’t have the gift of being good at drawing – it can make a storyboard come to life, and make your workflow faster (as you might not need to search for the perfect image on Google)
- The ability to add real-life objects to existing photos can be used in interior design planning, or even fashion – you can draw something on your shirt, or put a clever caption on it
- It’s just fun – a lot of fun; as long as you have good intentions, you can create “fake” photos that involve your friends and family, and… get them to believe you’re in Paris, or that you have a French mustache… or a new cat… with a French mustache
- Speaking of fun, Sketch to Image must be a nice pastime for young children and students – although I’m not sure young children should be using phones and tablets in the first place (especially with the current version of the AI)
- As I wrote in a different story related to the topic, Sketch to Image makes Samsung’s S Pen far more useful and relevant than it’s ever been, and that’s a legitimate reason to buy a Galaxy Z Fold and give Samsung’s generative AI a try
Too powerful: The dangerous and addictive side to Samsung’s wild Sketch to Image feature
Hey, Samsung! Sketch to Image is powerful but a bit too slow
Apart from the usual security concerns surrounding “cloud computing”, the other problem is that this process makes “Sketch to Image” rather slow. In fact, generating a single image, or altering a photo can take 20-30 seconds, which (in today’s society) is a long time to wait for just about anything – let alone to see your new picture.
Generative AI like “Sketch to Image” can boost the creativity of your projects while making you less creative
As with all of the AI that “helps” us get things done, I strongly believe Sketch to Image might turn out to be another creativity roadblock for humans. And that’s ironic considering generative AI is supposed to make you come across as “more creative”. However the key phrase here is “come across”.Just like I can open my calculator at any time and work out how much is 86 – 77 x 5, not having to force my brain to think, I can also whip out my Galaxy Fold and let it fill in the blanks on my super rough sketch. And never learn how to draw – even if I wanted to.
Of course, the negative effects of generative AI on how social, creative, and “human” we are, depend on how we use the algorithm – and how often we use it. But if the current state of society is anything to go by, I’m not sure we need more artificial intelligence.
Samsung’s magical Sketch to Image generative AI can be pretty… sketchy
Finally, it almost goes without saying… The super-powerful image alterations you can make using tools like Sketch to Image and the Magic Eraser, can end up being abused by some people. And they probably will.
For the record, the AI-generated images come with metadata and an “AI-generated” sticker in the bottom left corner – to let you know they are… AI.
But it’s not like you can’t crop out the caption; screenshot the image; and lose the metadata before trying to convince somebody this is a real photograph. And who knows what people will choose to use this for…
Perhaps adding or removing yourself from a photo can convince your partner you didn’t cheat on them! Or you can convince somebody you’re holding their dog hostage – but really, you’re holding an AI dog that looks like their dog.
But enough about the things I’ll do when I buy a Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Even more capable generative AI on phones brings up the same old questions: What does it mean “to take a photo” in 2024?
Finally, it’s only fitting to ask a question that’s become more and more relevant as generative AI keeps evolving… What is a photograph? What does it mean to “take a photo”?
This was a question I started asking myself all the way back when Instagram filters were cool. But Google and Samsung’s recent AI is far more sophisticated, letting you remove objects from photos; add objects; move them, expand a photo, and with Sketch to Image, add an original object to your picture.
In other words, even if my intentions are sweet and pure, and I simply want to enhance my photos and online presence by putting myself on a yacht, or putting myself on a yacht with Ariana Grande, or getting my subscribers to believe I own a pet alligator… Are those photos real?
I mean, they were “real photos”, and the person in them (a.k.a. me) is real… But is creating a different reality, which I’m a part of, a “photograph”, or just a painting of some sort? Or am I… AI Picasso?!
Frankly, when I scroll through my X feed and see a photo/video that makes a politician say/do something “weird”, I’m no longer sure if I’m looking at something real or not. Is it a legitimate image/footage; is it just a “prank”; or is it pure propaganda?
Anyway… What would you use a feature like Sketch to Image for?