Artificial Intelligence… now there’s a controversial topic! And it’s making the headlines every single day. Whether you love it, hate it, or are just plain ole afraid of it, AI is here to stay.
Wondering what artificial intelligence has to do with needlepoint? Well, my friend, AI is beginning to infiltrate every aspect of our daily lives, including our beloved hobby — and it’s time to have a conversation about it.
I grew up in an era when computers filled the entire basements of buildings and you had to pull punch cards from a stack to register for college classes. So I’ve experienced the advancement of technology firsthand, and let me tell you… this AI stuff is something to behold. I think it’s the rate at which it’s advancing that is causing so many people to feel anxious.
That’s totally understandable, too. It’s new. It’s an “unknown”. And that’s all the more reason to try and figure out how we can make it fit into our lives in a safe way.
So, I have some thoughts that I’m going to share with you about it here today.
I’ve always been an early adopter of technology. In fact, the very first computer I used regularly was an Apple IIe back in 1984. (I used the Grade Book program to calculate grades for my first graders and it was a game changer!!)
Rick and I got our first personal computer for our home in the early 1990s. I had a website for Heirloom Embroidery, the precursor to Serendipity Needleworks, way back in 1998. And when I moved into the online space in 2017, I was the first needlepoint teacher to host live classes online. So I think it’s safe to say that I’m pretty good at keeping on top of the advances in technology. But enough about me…
Let’s talk about AI.
You’ve probably heard of ChatGPT. It came on the scene in November of 2022 and has been gaining traction ever since.
Here’s Google’s description of it, in case you’re not familiar with it: “ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) chatbot from OpenAI. It uses natural language processing to generate human-like conversational dialogue, allowing users to ask questions and receive answers, or even generate various types of written content like articles or code. It’s trained on a massive dataset of text and code, enabling it to understand and respond to prompts in a nuanced and context-aware way.”
In other words, it’s a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to answer questions. But there’s a caveat… the answers you get are not always correct. In fact, I’ve used it several times and trust me — it makes a lot of mistakes.
The key to using any kind of AI is to understand that it’s only as good as the database it draws its answers from.
There’s also an environmental impact to using AI. It requires massive amounts of energy and water to operate the computers. And then there are the processors and servers which contain harmful chemicals that can contaminate the environment when they’re scrapped for more up-to-date hardware.
Yes, there are, indeed, many things to consider when deciding how you’ll use it in your daily life. And speaking of using AI in your day-to-day life…
If you’ve used Google to search for the answers to questions, you’ve already experienced artificial intelligence.
Like I said earlier, I believe AI is here to stay. I also firmly believe that it’s up to us as responsible human beings to demand that it be developed and used in ethical ways. (But that’s a topic for another day…)
Let’s talk a little about AI and needlepoint…
There are lots of conversations happening around how we might be able to use AI to facilitate our needlepoint hobby. For example, if you’re on TikTok, you’re probably familiar with the claims that you can use AI to choose threads for a needlepoint canvas.
How does that work? Well, all you have to do is ask ChatGPT to give you a list of threads that you’ll need to stitch a particular canvas. Simply type in your request, attach a picture of the canvas and Voilá… you’ll get a list of threads.
Is it accurate? No.
I tried it myself and it did give me a list of threads, some of which were usable. Most of them were not, though. Heck, some of the colors it suggested aren’t even “real” colors (in that line of threads).
You can also ask ChatGPT to write a stitch guide for a needlepoint canvas: input a picture of the canvas and ask it to write you a stitch guide.
I’ve done this, too, and the results were laughable. (More about that coming soon…)
The bottom line is this… a machine will never be able to compete with the innate creativity that each of us has been given by our Creator!
Next week, I’ll share more specifics around how we can smartly use AI to enhance our needlepoint hobby. And if you know someone who might enjoy reading this blog post, feel free to share it. 😉
In the meanwhile, if you use ChatGPT — or some other AI model — to help you with your needlepoint projects, please tell me about it in the comments below. I’d love to know!
Alrighty… that’s all for now. Have a terrific rest of your week and I’ll see you again soon.
Until then, happy stitching!! 🙂
