Latest news with #Midjourney
Campaign ME
a day ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Where is the agency model headed?
Where is the agency model headed? That's the question we asked ourselves recently when Saudi FMCG brand invited us to pitch for the launch of their new product category. It was a full-service brief covering brand positioning, launch campaign, execution, media planning, and buying. Naturally, we were told it would be a multi-round process. Our first instinct? Here we go again. Weeks of back-and-forth, creative wars, long nights, and internal sparring, with the hope of landing the final knockout punch. But there was a shift. And before deciding how to respond, we paused. We chose to be still. Because sometimes, stillness gives you more answers than constantly operating at 100 miles per hour. We handed the entire pitch to one of our account directors. Just one person. No departments. No internal back-and-forth. Just clarity, creativity, and the right tools. He worked solo, using ChatGPT for strategy, Midjourney for visualisation, Gemini VEO for mockups, and Gamma to bring it all together. We told the team, 'Let's enjoy the moment and just observe.' What we witnessed was one person, deeply familiar with the FMCG space, who called the LLM model Rhea. Yep, he named her and interacted with her like a human. The outcome? More nuanced, relatable outputs – especially critical, considering the brief was designed to appeal to Gen Z. We saw that same person transform scattered notes into a powerful, insight-led presentation while the rest of the team stood still, watching in awe. Not of him, but of where we are clearly heading. One person. A full-service pitch. The result? Account in the bag. What is the future of agencies? It was answered in real time. It became clear that the future of agency work may not require multiple layers to be effective. A single person, equipped with the right tools and clarity, can deliver what previously required entire teams. This isn't a celebration of solo heroes. It's a wake-up call to how radically the agency model is being reshaped. For decades, agencies have operated in silos, with strategy in one corner, creative in another, and media somewhere else, all held together by process-heavy workflows and a reliance on manpower. But the game is changing. Smart individuals, using intuitive and powerful tools, can ideate, plan, create, and deliver campaigns at a speed and scale that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. This is not about replacing teams. It's about recalibrating how we work. What once required a room full of people can now, in some cases, be done by one person with range. Not because they're superhuman, but because they understand how to prompt, adapt, and build using the platforms available to all of us. The barriers to entry have fallen and with them, the myth that size guarantees capability. Agencies that remain locked in traditional structures – layered hierarchies, long approval chains, departmental dependencies, risk becoming too slow for today's market. The ability to move from brief to execution rapidly, without compromising quality, is becoming the expectation, not the exception. Brands are shifting gears too. Many now expect their agency partners to function like business collaborators, not just execution arms. They're looking for problem-solvers who bring strategic thinking, creativity, and operational efficiency to the table, not just polished decks. So where does that leave the industry? It leaves us at a crossroads. One path continues business as usual, with large teams, disconnected tools, and the belief that more heads equal better output. The other embraces a new reality. One where tools have democratised execution, and agencies are training teams to think cross-functionally, become fluent with AI, and adopt more agile, leaner models. AI is no longer a future disruptor. It is already levelling the playing field. Small agencies, freelancers, even in-house brand teams now have access to the same creative firepower once reserved for large networks. The difference no longer lies in access; it lies in how well people think and how quickly they act on that thinking. In this new era, thinking smart will matter more than thinking big. So, as agencies and brands, we need to ask ourselves: Are we building cultures that reward curiosity, experimentation, and efficiency rather than just process? The future is here. It belongs to the curious, the clear, and the calm – those who move with intent and pause with purpose. By Sameer Abdur Rehman, Founder and CEO, Xplore
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
‘Adult content' made her an overnight sensation. Now, a police arrest reveals how Assam woman was victim of AI used by ex-collegemate
Last week, an Assamese woman's 'provocative posts' on Instagram became the subject of headlines, including claims that she had entered the adult film industry. Now, it has emerged that she was the victim of a cybercrime from a man she studied with, and who allegedly morphed her images and videos using AI tools to harass her. The accused, 30-year-old Pratim Bora, is a mechanical engineer who had a work-from-home job and was arrested by Dibrugarh police from Tinsukia on Saturday night. He has been booked under sections of the BNS, including criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty, sexual harassment, production and circulation of obscene material, criminal intimidation, creating false material to harm someone's reputation and defamation. Dibrugarh SSP in-charge, Sizal Agarwal, said on Sunday that the woman, who is around the same age as the accused and is married, had filed a complaint with the Dibrugarh police on Saturday, alleging that her images had been morphed and circulated on social media. She said that police tracked Bora down with the help of the information that he had provided on Instagram to create the profile, which gathered more than a million followers in a short period. 'When she gave us the complaint, she gave us a reference to an Instagram page. We sought its details and found a contact number. From there, we traced the identity of the accused, whom we have arrested. We cross-checked with the woman if she knew Pratim Bora. She confirmed that they had studied together and had a past acquaintance. It confirmed our suspicion that he was behind it,' said ASP Agarwal. Agarwal told The Indian Express that the accused and the woman had been in college from 2013 to 2017. Police said that Bora appeared to be using AI software such as OpenArt and Midjourney. 'We have seized a laptop, two mobile phones, a hard disk, a tablet, a pen drive, a card reader and some SIM cards. When there is a digital crime, information is sought from multiple agencies. Since the case was only registered yesterday, it is at a preliminary stage. He has used AI software, so we will seek all the information. What credentials he used to create all this, how many fake profiles and IDs he created,' said Agarwal. She said that while the Bora appeared to have begun creating and circulating the content for 'harassment based on personal reasons,' he had also made money by monetising the content. 'From our interrogation, we found that he was trying to harass the woman based on personal reasons. After a while, when he created a webpage on Linktree and gave a link to view pornographic content, there was a subscription system. He got money from the subscription. So as the crime continued, he began earning and got almost Rs 10 lakh from the whole process. He became greedy after that and continued the crime because of that,' she said. The profile has amassed millions of views and followers in the past week after a morphed photo of the victim with adult film personality Kendra Lust was uploaded on July 2 with a caption suggesting that she was joining the adult film industry. The provocative posts on the account date back to 2022.
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Is using AI in online dating helping or harming the search for love?
AI can help with writing business emails but also flirty messages on dating apps. But when the charm is machine-generated, what happens on the first real date? Experts share tips for spotting red flags and staying authentic. — Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa MUNICH: From writing business emails with ChatGPT to creating birthday card images using Midjourney, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a fixture of daily life. Now, it's also entering the world of online dating – playing a role not just behind the scenes, but also in user interactions. About one in five users (19%) of dating platforms say they have used AI-generated texts to help them with phrasing in a chat, according to recent research in Germany. A similar number have used AI to create or at least improve images for their dating profile (18%). The representative survey was conducted by the industry association Bitkom in early 2025 and polled 1,006 people aged 16 and over in Germany. When authenticity is blurred Psychologist Stella Schultner warns that AI can complicate the search for genuine connection. "We are looking for someone who is authentic and loves us for who we are," Schultner says. "But with AI, I can create an ideal version of myself that may not reflect reality." That disconnect can lead to disappointment – especially when a polished online persona doesn't match up during a real-life date. "That can only lead to problems," she notes. Bitkom's survey also found growing scepticism among users with 63% saying they worry their online match might actually be a chatbot. Rapid replies at all hours, vague answers, or unsolicited requests for private information could be signs of a scam bot, warns Leah Schrimpf, Bitkom's head of digital society. "Whether human or automated, you should always be vigilant when online dating to avoid falling for fake profiles," Schrimpf says. To spot AI-generated messages, users can paste them into tools like ChatGPT and ask if the text appears machine-written. Another tactic: Ask personal and specific questions. "Bots can't answer that and will evade it," says Schrimpf. Bringing up previous conversations or throwing in absurd questions can also reveal a robotic pattern. "If you notice language that is flawless or overly polished and less conversational tones, you should also use caution," says Schultner. AI could help the shy Still, AI isn't all bad. For shy users, it can offer a confidence boost. "If you're very shy and looking for a good introduction or a charming answer, you can get help from an AI," says Schultner. But she warns against relying on it too heavily. "If you couldn't come up with the response on your own, it's probably not authentic." Even something as small as fixing spelling mistakes can backfire. A flawless message followed by a clumsy, typo-filled chat on another platform could cause someone to lose interest. "That's a deal-breaker for many," Schultner says. The fact that AI is used as a service in the background of dating apps is nothing new. It is used for matching users, filtering inappropriate content or suggesting quick replies like "yes," "no," or "thanks" but not for complex answers. Ultimately, experts advise moving offline sooner rather than later. According to Stella Schultner, if you really want to be on the safe side, you should only use the dating app as the initial meeting place. "It's better to get to know each other for the first time over coffee," she says. And most users agree. According to the Bitkom survey, more than three-quarters (78%) would prefer a classic acquaintance and rather get to know someone in real life. – dpa
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
At Rencontres d'Arles, the artistic blur between AI and photographers remains unresolved
Inside the Église des Trinitaires in the southern town of Arles, where the photography festival Rencontres d'Arles opened on Monday, July 7, Brazilian artist Igi Lola Ayedun – who is a painter, sculptor, writer and photographer – presented photographs created by training the generative artificial intelligence (AI) system Midjourney with her own portraits, explained Thyago Nogueira, curator of the "Futurs Ancestraux" ("Ancestral Futures") exhibition. Just steps away, another Brazilian artist, Mayara Ferrao, depicted lesbian love stories of former Black slaves within the context of a fantasized 19 th century. She also used AI to transform a body of text and images into "real" photographs, effectively bringing to life non-existent archives. To address the gaps in history – the undocumented LGBTQIA+ love stories – she "had to fight hard against the machine," explained Nogueira, discovering that the AI algorithms were profoundly racist. They are the only artists officially using AI in photography at Arles in 2025. "It's not yet mentioned in the Rencontres rules because it's still very new. However, it's clear that it must be indicated on the labels to inform visitors," said Christoph Wiesner, the event's director.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Internet Touched by Elderly Woman's Reaction To AI Recreation Of Late Husband
A grandmother's reaction after watching her late husband in an artificial intelligence (AI) generated video has gone viral on social media. A content creator, Apoorva Vijaykumar, made the video as a birthday gift for her grandmother. The elderly woman is visibly moved to tears as she watches the clip, which ends with a warm hug between the grandmother and her granddaughter. Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Apoorva Vijaykumar (@apoorva_vijaykumar) Also Read | "Lamborghini With Alto Wheels": Kerala Man Builds Supercar With Spare Parts The video was posted on Instagram, with the caption, "Happy Birthday Ammu. I know living without Appupan has been hard. So I made this to remind still here-in every quiet moment, in every little joy. You may not see him, but he's watching over you, protecting you, and walking beside you always." The video has left the internet emotional. It garnered over a million views, 2 lakh likes and thousands of comments. Viewers are praising the video's use of AI to relive cherished memories and honour long-lasting love. One user wrote, "Crying for random strangers on Instagram has become a part of daily routine for me." "Oh god please, A love this pure may find everyone... A love for infinity years, A love for this life and next life," another said. "I'm in tears... what a thoughtful and meaningful gift. May she always feel his presence," a third user wrote. Alexis Ohanian Shares AI-Made Video Of Late Mother Recently, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian shared an emotional post about his late mother. He AI software Midjourney to create a small clip from an old photograph, in which he is seen hugging his mother, sitting on a mountain meadow. "I dropped one of my favorite photos of us in midjourney as 'starting frame for an AI video' and wow... This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times," he wrote in the caption.
