Photography in the age of Generative AI

Dec. 21, 2024

Generative AI has made my job as a software engineer much easier, but it’s also a bit scary. The question everyone is asking is whether AI will replace my job.

The next question is, what can I do to secure my future? What are the skills that are hard for AI?

For years, I have enjoyed photography, and I hope to turn it into a business when I retire to stay busy. It does seem that generative AI will eliminate the need for a lot of photography as well. Businesses could create ads from quick snapshots of their products, and people could generate professional photos from their family snapshots, etc.

But just as AI hasn’t killed chess tournaments, spellcheckers haven’t eliminated spelling bees, and cars haven’t ended long-distance races, AI will not replace photography as an art. There will be a premium for human-created photography.

Yes, there will likely be less demand, but if you enjoy photography now, you should be okay. Maybe there will also be less money overall, but also less competition. All of this is just speculation, and I am hoping that I will stay on the path to becoming a semi-professional photographer in retirement.