AI PhotoJournalism.

I was scrolling on instagram aimlessly a few days ago, and came across a photo. A beaten down vehicle packed with luggage, weighed down by groups of people, and taking on the waves of some tropical shore. The vivid scene was packed with emotion, and resembled the famous photos of lives being changed during the times of turmoil we see on the tv screen. But, this never happened.

*90 Miles -* *Michael Christopher Brown*

This is the work of Michael Christopher Brown, a professional photojournalist with high acclaim. His photography is shown on the covers of New York Mag and National Geographic, showcasing the stories of marginalized communities, political turmoils in diverse lands, and humanity in its purest forms.

But this was not his photography, instead his imagination and the helping hand of artificial intelligence. Is that alright? That question is up for debate based on the feedback in the comments of Brown’s post.

*Source :* *@guillaumebonn* *on Instagram*

On one side there is the thought process that photojournalism is the purest, unedited form of storytelling for the lives we live. Using AI to try to tell those stories is a low blow to those who devote their lives to immersing themselves within those environments, especially when those people make profits off of the backs of others.

The other side is one of interest in these uncharted waters. Many seemed to be excited to see how AI can help to further promote the stories that the world needs to see, even with a little help from the imagination.

We are on the forefront of image making with artificial intelligence, but the path forward is definitely unclear. How should we go about incorporating these technologies in our lives? Will photojournalism expand or crumble with the use of AI to tell those stories? I am interested to see how compelling work can be with AI, but anxious that the use of it could water down the unfiltered rawness that is so compelling with photojournalism.

Staying Positive when negativity strikes.