How to use Generative AI in your daily practice

What do ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney, GPT-3, Stable Diffusion, Nightcafé and Dreamstudio have in common? They’re all examples of Generative AI applications.

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI, also known as generative models or generative artificial intelligence, is a type of machine learning that is designed to generate new, original content, such as images, text, music, and videos.

These models are trained on large sets of data, and use statistical techniques to learn the underlying patterns and relationships in the data. Once trained, generative AI models can use their acquired knowledge to create new and unique content that is similar, yet distinct from the training data. This can be used for a variety of applications, such as image and video synthesis, natural language generation, and music composition.

👉 Generative AI simply continues, on a larger scale, the process that human creatives have been pursuing for centuries, namely drawing on universal knowledge, context, culture and other parameters to generate original content.

Is true innovation just a myth?

A quote often attributed to Pablo Picasso says that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”

It reflects the idea that all art is influenced by what has come before, and that artists should not be afraid to borrow or take inspiration from other artists’ work.

That’s exactly what Generative AI is doing but instead of relying on the biological limits of the human mind, AI relies on powerful algorithms to absorb all textual and pictorial output like a giant sponge to feed its creative process.

There is, however, a slight – but important – difference: there is a form of externality in the way we humans absorb, interpret, and repurpose our inspirations, while the machine processes the dataset and regurgitates its own interpretation within the same digital realm.

Thus, one could say that in the case of AI, some form of “physicality” of the source material is reused as is in the result without being shaped or attenuated by external factors. This is what makes the process both so efficient and so scary from a creator’s perspective. We can definitely suspect that words, expressions, pixels or even areas from the original works are to be found in the AI-generated creatives.

Humans have the ability to take in external stimuli and experiences, and then use their own emotions, perspectives and personal experiences to interpret and repurpose that inspiration in a unique way. This can lead to new and original creations that are not only influenced by the inspiration, but also shaped by the individual’s perspective.

Of course, we can imagine a future when AI models will not only draw their inspiration from pixels and digital tokens but also from smells, sounds and feelings captured in the so-called Real World.

We can envision a form of humanized AI with built-in personality prisms which would lose in raw efficiency but gain in perceived authenticity. There is a charm in our imperfections that algorithmic efficiency still struggles to simulate.

Human beings can make unexpected blunders that contribute to the magic of an original creation. You can ask Dall-E to generate a squirrel reading a book in the style of Johannes Vermeer (I did it) but Dall-E, Midjourney or Stable Diffusion will often give you a strong sense of déjà vu.

Some will tell you that there is no such thing as pure innovation and that all possible variations have already been explored in art in the broadest sense. It’s a fair point that is probably reinforced by our propensity to recycle past trends into an infinite number of nostalgic enterprises. But at least we can still have the sweet illusion that something completely new can happen, out of nowhere. Whereas we know for a fact that all the AI production is merely a probabilistic reshuffling of existing patterns.

We’ll be enhanced by AI

That being said, generative AI has many pragmatic benefits for anyone who engages in business on a daily basis. You can use it to save money and even to make money.

Beyond the curiosity of the amazing conversations with ChatGPT shared on social networks by the early adopters, it is undeniably the economic value of this technology that will ensure its development and sustainability. Generative AI is here to stay!

All knowledge workers – as we call the people using mainly their brains in their job – will have in one way or another to incorporate AI tools in their daily practice. Expectations in terms of productivity will inevitably be raised by the introduction of AI in the work environment.

An article you could have written in a few hours will now have to be submitted before noon, an illustration you could have designed in two days will have to be published in the afternoon. A book you could have written in three months will land on your editor’s virtual desk in less than three weeks. And you won’t even feel like you’ve worked harder, augmented in your creative capacity by the power of AI. It’s by no means science fiction, it’s already a reality you can implement in a few clicks.

I’m going to give you some very concrete examples of how generative AI can be used in a range of businesses.

Use Generative AI in research

When you read “Generative” you might think that the technology can only be used in the final production phase, generating text, (animated) images and sounds (text-to-speech & music). But you can also leverage the power of AI in research.

Let’s say that you’re tasked to write a white paper about a specific topic. You will first use AI to identify a selection of relevant sources, then curate some key points before asking your AI assistant to clean up your notes and produce a polished report, which will be passed on to a copywriter who will in turn not only scale but also expand their creative capacity by engaging with another virtual assistant.

So far using Google and other search engines has been a very unilateral process, where the output of the machine still requires a lot of post-processing by the human worker.

With advanced tools like ChatGPT, knowledge work will become much more conversational. The AI assistant will be at your side at every step of your creative journey, from research, ideation to production.

Use Generative AI in brainstorming sessions

To be honest, generative AI isn’t there yet when it comes to producing marketing visuals incorporating photorealistic subjects, text and illustrations. You’ll end up with weird looking creatives.

See for instance what you get if you ask Dall-E to generate a marketing creative for a wellness brand offering diet products.

The model on the first image looks pretty distorted. And the texts on the visuals don’t make any sense. It would take you more time to edit them than to create something from scratch using Canva or Photoshop.

But those creatives can be the starting point for something original. You’ll notice for instance than green leaves and avocados seem to have some weight in this space. And you know what, we can run the same prompt multiple times to add a few suggestions to our brainstorming virtual white board.

Remember that he AI is a predictive engine drawing on recurring patterns observed in the dataset. This makes it very valuable when exploring marketing ideas. In the time it took me to write those two sentences, the AI generated another set of ideas.

I’m opening the other tab to take a screenshot…

Once again, nothing there which could be published as is but nevertheless some interesting concepts. Look at this wooden cube on the second image, with a fruit/vegetable which looks like a mutant green pepper / avocado. We still have the green (mint) leaves on the third creative, almost shaped like a butterfly. This could be the start of an idea (more about it in a minute). And we also have a very interesting green “dumbbell” on the third visual. I don’t know whether the AI wanted to draw a dumbbell but that’s what I saw on that picture.

It’s also interesting to look at the “words” on the visuals: Whlcate, Delti, Organce. Sometimes you come across inspiring wordplays.

Let’s ask Dall-E to create a pair of green dumbbells in the shape of mint leaves.

The ones in the second visual could be a nice inspiration for fitness props in a diet centre.

Do you remember that I saw a butterfly in mint leaves in the previous set of suggestions? Let’s ask another AI assistant, Stable Diffusion, to explore this concept: a green butterfly with wings like mint leaves, flying around a glass of green smoothie, on a beautiful summer day. (No I didn’t smoke any weed…). I’m excited to see what a Python script came up with while I was struggling with this sentence… Here we go.

Not too bad. You could almost import it into Canva and add some text on the right. You’ll notice that I did not ask for a wood background but apparently it was conceptually aligned with my brief, both for Dall-E and Stable Diffusion.

We can even go a little further and start our brainstorming session by asking GPT-3 (or ChatGPT) to generate a few prompts to feed its sibling Dall-E or its cousin Stable Diffusion.

Write 15 creative prompts to ask Dall-E or Stable Diffusion to generate an original marketing visual for a wellness brand promoting diet products. Be creative in your prompts, not just descriptive. Impress me.

Here are the replies.

Visualize the concept of a balanced diet in a colorful, abstract design.

Capture a sense of calmness and serenity in a modern, minimalist design.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of wellness through the combination of nature and technology.

Create a surreal landscape that speaks to healthy living and the power of choice.

Illustrate the concept of nourishing one’s body with the right foods in an eye-catching design.

Create an image that conveys the idea of clean eating and optimal health.

Visualize the idea of progress and growth in an uplifting, vibrant design.

Generate an image that speaks to the power of making mindful, healthy eating choices.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of a nourishing, balanced diet in an aesthetically pleasing design.

Create a surreal image that speaks to the idea of being kind to one’s body through healthy eating habits.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of a healthy lifestyle in a modern, minimalist design.

Create a design that speaks to the idea of taking care of one’s body

I asked the AI to elaborate on those suggestions.

It’s still pretty formal, try to be more creative, incorporating some ideas for props and characters

Create an image that symbolizes the journey to a healthy lifestyle through the use of vibrant colors, abstract shapes and a whimsical character.

Generate an image that illustrates the power of nourishing one’s body with the right foods, using a combination of organic and technological elements.

Visualize the idea of optimal health through a modern, vibrant design with a strong sense of balance.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of progress and growth in an uplifting, surreal design featuring a character in an adventurous setting.

Create an image that speaks to the idea of a nourishing, balanced diet in an aesthetically pleasing design, featuring a character enjoying a delicious meal.

Illustrate the concept of clean eating and optimal health using a variety of vibrant colors and a futuristic character in a surreal environment.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of taking care of one’s body with a combination of abstract shapes and a character surrounded by natural elements.

Visualize the concept of mindful eating habits in a modern, minimalist design featuring a character in a peaceful setting.

Create a surreal landscape that speaks to healthy living and the power of choice,

And one step further, to push the envelope.

Add some context / environment details to the prompts. Make them more explicit.

Generate an image that conveys the idea of progress and growth in an uplifting, vibrant design featuring a character in a vibrant green field.

Create an image that speaks to the idea of taking care of one’s body with a combination of abstract shapes and a character surrounded by blooming flowers and trees.

Visualize the concept of mindful eating habits in a modern, minimalist design featuring a character by a river in a peaceful forest.

Create an image that symbolizes the journey to a healthy lifestyle through the use of vibrant colors, abstract shapes and a whimsical character in a vibrant yellow meadow.

Generate an image that illustrates the power of nourishing one’s body with the right foods, using a combination of organic and technological elements in a futuristic cityscape.

Illustrate the concept of clean eating and optimal health using a variety of vibrant colors and a futuristic character in a surreal environment with a starry sky.

Visualize the idea of a balanced diet in a colorful, abstract design featuring a character in a lush garden.

Capture a sense of calmness and serenity in a modern, minimalist design featuring a character in a tranquil mountain setting.

We’ll try #2 and #4.

Create an image that speaks to the idea of taking care of one’s body with a combination of abstract shapes and a character surrounded by blooming flowers and trees. Prompting Stable Diffusion.

Not sure we could use this for a wellness brand but it would look fine in a modern art Instagram feed. I like the yellow / purple flowers, those could definitely be part of a more minimalistic visual.

I’m adding the word “marketing” to the next one, also submitted to Stable Diffusion.

Create a marketing image that symbolizes the journey to a healthy lifestyle through the use of vibrant colors, abstract shapes and a whimsical character in a vibrant yellow meadow.

Well, I’m not sure it conveys the idea of a healthy lifestyle but it’s definitely vibrant and the character has a whimsical flair. Let’s remove the “abstract” part of the prompt. Let’s add “for a wellness brand”.

Create a marketing image for a wellness brand, that symbolizes the journey to a healthy lifestyle through the use of vibrant colors and a whimsical character in a vibrant yellow meadow.

Again a wood background and some weird utensils, but I like the vibe of the mockup, even if the trees look somehow dead to me.

You get the point. You can play with the AI which will come up with some surprising ideas. Like in any traditional brainstorm, most of the suggestions will be trash but some of them might inspire your creative efforts.

At this stage, I would not use the output of Dall-E or Stable Diffusion for a company logo but the AI can definitely be part of the ideation process. See for instance a few suggestions from Stable Diffusion prompted to design a set of logos for a space company preparing a journey to Mars.

The color palette and some of the abstract elements could inspire the work of a designer.

Use Generative AI to find a brand name

Nice suggestion from Mark Schaefer’s article on Medium.

I’ve just asked ChatGPT to suggest 10 catchy one-word brand names for a franchise of urban weight loss centres, offering bespoke coaching and diet supplements.

Here’s the answer.

TrimFit
LeanHaven
FitNest
SlimCity
ShapeUpHQ
FitMetropolis
SlenderHaven
FitVille
Slimscape
ShapeNation

Use Generative AI to create outlines

I would not trust ChatGPT or GPT-3 for a long form essay based on a 2-line prompt but I’m using it on a daily basis for outline suggestions.

I’ve not used AI prompts for this article but let’s see what it would have suggested based on the following one: Generate the 10-point outline of an article dedicated to the business use cases of Generative AI. The article should demonstrate how Generate AI can be used at the various steps of a creative workflow, from research to publication.

Here’s the initial output.

Introduction to Generative AI and its potential for businesses

Use case: Generative AI for research and idea generation

Use case: Generative AI for content creation and writing

Use case: Generative AI for design and prototyping

Use case: Generative AI for optimization and testing

Use case: Generative AI for personalization and customization

Use case: Generative AI for automation and scaling

Use case: Generative AI for analytics and decision making

Conclusion on the potential of Generative AI for businesses and future possibilities

Call to action for businesses to start experimenting with Generative AI in their workflow.

Then I asked ChatGPT to elaborate on each point.

Introduction to Generative AI and its potential for businesses: This section will provide an overview of what Generative AI is and its potential to revolutionize the way businesses operate. It will also explain the difference between Generative AI and traditional AI.

Use case: Generative AI for research and idea generation: In this section, we will explore how Generative AI can be used to assist businesses in researching new ideas and generating new concepts. This can be done through natural language processing and machine learning techniques, which can help identify trends, patterns, and insights in large data sets.

Use case: Generative AI for content creation and writing: This section will discuss how Generative AI can be used to create written content, such as articles, blog posts, and product descriptions. Generative AI models can be trained to understand the structure and style of writing, and can generate text that is similar to human-written content.

Use case: Generative AI for design and prototyping: This section will explore how Generative AI can be used in the design process, from prototyping to final product design. Generative AI models can be trained to understand design principles and can generate a wide range of designs, from logos to website layouts, that are similar to human-designed ones.

Use case: Generative AI for optimization and testing: In this section, we will discuss how Generative AI can be used to optimize and test various aspects of a business, such as marketing campaigns, product development, and customer service. Generative AI can be used to generate a large number of variations and test them, to find the best performing one.

Use case: Generative AI for personalization and customization: This section will explore how Generative AI can be used to personalize and customize products and services for individual customers. Generative AI models can be trained to understand customer preferences and can generate personalized recommendations, content, and designs.

Use case: Generative AI for automation and scaling: In this section, we will discuss how Generative AI can be used to automate repetitive tasks and scale business operations. Generative AI models can be trained to understand specific business processes and can automate tasks such as data entry, customer service, and even financial forecasting.

Use case: Generative AI for analytics and decision making: This section will explore how Generative AI can be used to analyze data and make decisions. Generative AI models can be trained to understand data and can be used to predict outcomes, identify patterns, and make recommendations for future actions.

Conclusion on the potential of Generative AI for businesses and future possibilities: In this section, we will summarize the potential of Generative AI for businesses, including its ability to save time, increase efficiency, and generate new ideas. We will also discuss the future possibilities of Generative AI and its potential to transform various industries.

Call to action for businesses to start experimenting with Generative AI in their workflow: In this section, we will encourage businesses to start experimenting with Generative AI in their workflow and explore how it can benefit their operations. We will provide resources and examples of how other businesses have successfully integrated Generative AI into their workflow.

This sounds good to me. Actually, if we have a closer look at the second point, the AI suggests a nice addition to the suggestions I brought in my research / brainstorming sections: using Generative AI to help you identify trends, patterns, and insights in large data sets. I would add that the AI can articulate the takeaways from its quick analysis in a reader-friendly format.

And when I asked ChatGPT to explain what it meant by “identifying trends, patterns, and insights in large data sets“, I got a wealth of insightful comments, which could definitely be used in an editorial piece.

One popular technique is called clustering, where the AI groups similar data points together. By analyzing the patterns within each cluster, the AI can identify trends and insights that may not be immediately obvious when looking at the raw data.

Another technique is called anomaly detection, where the AI can identify unusual patterns or observations in the data that deviate from the norm. This can be used to detect fraud, errors, or other unusual events.

Another technique is called natural language processing (NLP), which is a subset of AI that allows machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language. NLP can be used to extract insights from unstructured text data, such as social media posts, news articles, and customer reviews.

In addition, predictive analytics is another technique that can be used, which is the process of using historical data and statistical models to make predictions about future events. Predictive analytics can be used to identify trends and patterns in the data that can inform business decisions.

Use Generative AI to write sensitive emails

It’s not always easy to communicate your thoughts via email, especially in sensitive situations. Having learned from thousands of sources, the AI knows how to articulate a message for specific purposes.

Ask it for instance to write an email to a coworker named Brian to explain that he has again delivered a poorly written article and that he should improve the quality of his writing in order to keep his job.

Dear Brian,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out to you regarding the article you recently submitted for publication. Despite the clear brief that was provided to you, the article was not up to our usual standards of quality.

I understand that writing can be challenging, but it is a fundamental part of your role at our company. Your articles are a representation of our company and poor quality writing reflects poorly on us.

I strongly urge you to take the time to improve your writing skills. This can be done through reading more, practicing your writing, and seeking feedback. There are also writing resources available to you within the company, such as the style guide and writing workshops.

I want to emphasize that we value your contributions to the team, but in order to continue to do your best work, it's important to focus on improving the quality of your writing. I am willing to support you in this process and would be happy to discuss any potential resources or strategies that may be helpful.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help or if you have any questions.

Best,

[Your Name]

👉 Pro Tip: if you want to have quick suggestions for alternatives, copy-paste the message in DeepL, translate it into another language, e.g. French, then switch languages (to translate FR back into EN) and you’ll have the option to pick alternatives for each section of the message.

Re: the email, you can ask the AI to be more specific:

Detail why the quality of the writing didn’t meet the standards of the company: spelling mistakes, lack of data to support the claims.

Dear Brian,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out to you regarding the article you recently submitted for publication. Despite the clear brief that was provided to you, the article did not meet the standards of quality that our company is known for.

In particular, there were several spelling mistakes and a lack of data to support the claims made in the article. This undermines the credibility of our company and the trust in the information presented to our readers.

I understand that writing can be challenging, but it is a fundamental part of your role at our company. Your articles are a representation of our company and poor quality writing reflects poorly on us.

I strongly urge you to take the time to improve your writing skills. This can be done through reading more, practicing your writing, and seeking feedback. There are also writing resources available to you within the company, such as the style guide and writing workshops.

I want to emphasize that we value your contributions to the team, but in order to continue to do your best work, it's important to focus on improving the quality of your writing. I am willing to support you in this process and would be happy to discuss any potential resources or strategies that may be helpful.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help or if you have any questions.

Best,

[Your Name]

Use Generative AI to write cold emails

It’s not always easy to craft the right message to grab the attention of a reader via a cold email. You can ask the AI to help you with a few suggestions.

Write a nice cold email to sell a website revamp service to a company running an old-looking site which undermines their credibility. Find the right tone of voice, not too pushy but impactful.

Subject: Give Your Website a Fresh Look

Hey [Name],

I hope all is well with you! I was checking out your website, [Company Name], and wanted to reach out because I noticed that it could use a bit of a revamp. Let's be real, first impressions are everything, and in today's digital age, having a website that looks outdated can really hurt your online credibility.

From what I saw, your website doesn't have a responsive design, meaning it doesn't adjust properly to different screen sizes, which can make it difficult for users to navigate on mobile devices. Also, the design seems to be quite outdated and doesn't reflect your company's branding and values.

That's where we come in! Our team specializes in taking outdated websites and giving them a fresh, modern look. We can handle everything from custom design to responsive layouts and improved functionality. Plus, we offer ongoing maintenance and support to make sure your website stays up to date and runs smoothly.

We know running a business can be a lot to handle, and we want to take website design off your plate. Our team will work closely with you to create a website that truly represents your brand and meets all your business needs.

How about we schedule a call to chat more about your website and we can even give you a free consultation? Let me know a few dates and times that work for you.

Cheers,

[Your Name]

P.S. If you're not sure if a website revamp is the right move, we can also do a website audit to see how your site is performing and make suggestions for improvement.

Let’s create another version, for a prospect using low quality stock photography, an outdated color palette and too many different fonts. It might sound a bit too harsh but you get the idea. You can drop some items and ask the engine to reformulate the sections you don’t like.

Hey [Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I came across your website, [Company Name], and noticed that it could use a visual upgrade. I noticed that the stock photography used on the site is low quality and doesn't align with your brand. Additionally, the color palette and font choices seem outdated and inconsistent, which can be overwhelming for visitors and make it difficult for them to engage with your content.

Our team specializes in revamping websites and creating visually stunning designs that align with your brand and communicate your message effectively. We can provide a complete website revamp, including high-quality custom photography, a cohesive color palette, and a streamlined font system.

We understand that design is a crucial aspect of any website and our team is dedicated to working closely with you to create a website that truly represents your brand and meets your business needs.

We would love to schedule a call to discuss your website needs in more detail and provide a free consultation. Please let me know a few dates and times that work for you.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Use Generative AI to A/B test ad variants

I’ve asked GPT-3 to come up with 5 variants for a Facebook post introducing TrashIQ.

Our USP: we offer you an ai-powered trash can which analyses the content of your waste to offer recommendations to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health.

1. Are you looking for a smarter way to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health? Look no further! Introducing TrashIQ, the ai-powered trash can which can analyze the content of your waste and offer you tailored recommendations on how to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health. 

2. TrashIQ is here to make your life simpler and greener! Our ai-powered trash can can analyze the content of your waste and offer you tailored recommendations on how to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health. Check us out now and make your life simpler and greener! 

3. Get rid of the guesswork in reducing your carbon footprint and improving your health! TrashIQ is an ai-powered trash can which can analyze the content of your waste and offer tailored recommendations on how to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health. 

4. Feeling overwhelmed by the task of reducing your carbon footprint and improving your health? Let TrashIQ do the work for you! Our ai-powered trash can can analyze the content of your waste and offer tailored recommendations on how to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health. 

5. Introducing TrashIQ, the smarter way to reduce your carbon footprint and improve  your health. Our ai-powered trash can can analyze the content of your waste and offer tailored recommendations on how to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health. Get started now and make your life simpler and greener!

Here’s what Stable Diffusion generated for the “create a promo visual for TrashIQ, the AI-powered smart trash can which analyses your waste to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health”. Still some issues on the body parts 🙂

Then I added: “Style: drawing, not photorealistic. Futuristic.“. I like the shape of the appliance.

💡 By the way, (smart) futuristic trash cans are now a thing.

Matt Rogers, the co-founder of Nest, has just announced the launch of Mill, a beautiful bin which will transform your kitchen waste into chicken feed (not a joke).

I asked GPT-3 to write the PR pitch for Matt’s startup (bear in mind that GPT-3 doesn’t know anything about this new venture since it was trained on data up to late 2021). Apparently the AI thinks that Mill users will also raise their own chickens. 🐔 Circular economy at its best. ♻️

Mill is the perfect kitchen companion! Our innovative product allows you to turn your food waste into feed for chickens, a great way to minimize your environmental impact and upcycle your organic waste. 

Mill is easy to use, with an intuitive design featuring a self-contained, odorless, and maintenance-free system. The intuitive design makes it simple to grind, mix, and store feed for your chickens with just a few clicks. Plus, Mill helps you save time and money, as you will no longer have to purchase expensive feed from the store. 

Mill is also incredibly energy efficient and built to last, making it an ideal choice for any household looking to reduce their waste and be more sustainable. 

We invite you to join the Mill revolution and experience the benefits of upcycling your food waste into chicken feed.

Use Generative AI to rephrase a sentence

You might get stuck when trying to articulate your request. Ask your AI assistant to reformulate your sentence and develop your thoughts.

For instance:

Please reformulate in a more appropriate way, explaining the reasons behind my reasoning.

Bob, I know you don't like commutes, nobody does, but I'd love to have you at the office at least twice a week. 

Output:

Bob, I understand that commutes can be a source of discomfort for many individuals, and I empathize with your feelings on this matter. However, as the leader of this organization, I must consider the overall productivity and success of our team. In-person collaboration and communication have been proven to be more effective than remote alternatives. As such, it is requested that you make an effort to be present in the office at least two times per week to contribute to the team's success and to ensure the smooth functioning of our operations.

Use Generative AI to code your Python scripts

There’s one creative field where ChatGPT truly shines: generating ready-to-use Python scripts.

Ask it for instance to create a dynamic 1200 pixels *628 pixels image with 2 lines of text and a 100*100 icon at the bottom right, with 50*50 padding around it and a 5px solid red border around the image.

Here’s the code.

from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

# Set the text for the top and bottom lines
top_text = "Hello World!"
bottom_text = "Python Script Generated Image"

# Set the font and size for the text
font = ImageFont.truetype("arial.ttf", 50)

# Create a new image with a white background
image = Image.new("RGB", (1200, 628), (255, 255, 255))

# Create a draw object to draw on the image
draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)

# Get the width and height of the text block
text_block_width, text_block_height = draw.textsize(top_text+"\n"+bottom_text, font=font)

# Draw the text block on the image (centered horizontally and vertically)
draw.multiline_text(((image.width-text_block_width)/2, (image.height-text_block_height)/2), top_text+"\n"+bottom_text, font=font, fill=(0, 0, 0))

# Open the PNG icon and resize it to a 100*100 square
icon = Image.open("icon.png").resize((100, 100))

# paste the icon at the bottom right with 50px padding
image.paste(icon, (image.width-icon.width-50, image.height-icon.height-50), icon)

# Draw a 5px solid red border around the image
draw.rectangle([0, 0, image.width-1, image.height-1], outline=(255, 0, 0), width=5)

# Save the final image
image.save("dynamic_image.png")

Here’s the output.👇

Note: there was just a minor warning when I ran the code. The model would need more recent training data to fix the code but it’s still working.
DeprecationWarning: textsize is deprecated and will be removed in Pillow 10 (2023-07-01). Use textbbox or textlength instead.

Use Generative AI to redesign your WordPress site with CSS & PHP

Using pure CSS and PHP is a smart lightweight alternative to creating templates with your visual builder. You can prompt your AI assistant to generate the code and explain how to use it.

Let’s say for instance that you want to create multiple columns on the auto-generated archive pages of your WordPress site (which consist in a single column by default).

Prompt: How to create 3 columns instead of one in the grid of a default WordPress Archive Page, using only CSS and PHP?

Step by step tutorial incl. code snippets. Crystal clear!

First, you will need to identify the CSS class or ID of the container element that holds the grid on the default WordPress archive page. This can typically be found by using the browser's developer tools to inspect the page.

Once you have identified the container element, you can add the following CSS code to your theme's stylesheet to create three columns:

/* Change the container element class or ID as necessary */
.container-element {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
}

Next, you will need to modify the PHP code that generates the grid on the archive page. This can typically be found in the theme's archive.php or index.php file.

You will need to adjust the loop that creates the grid so that it outputs the correct number of items per row. You can do this by adding a counter variable and using it to determine when to close and open a new row. 

For example:

<?php if ( have_posts() ) : ?>
    <div class="container-element">
        <?php $counter = 0; ?>
        <?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
            <?php if ( $counter % 3 == 0 ) : ?>
                <div class="row">
            <?php endif; ?>
                <div class="col">
                    <!-- Output the post content here -->
                </div>
            <?php $counter++; ?>
            <?php if ( $counter % 3 == 0 ) : ?>
                </div>
            <?php endif; ?>
        <?php endwhile; ?>
    </div>
<?php else : ?>
    <!-- Output "No posts found" message here -->
<?php endif; ?>

Note: This is a basic example and you may need to adjust the code to match the structure of your theme. It is also important to make sure that you are using the correct CSS classes and IDs.

Use Generative AI for programmatic SEO

Generative AI enables you to take structured raw data and turn it into reader-friendly content.

This comes very handy for programmatic SEO purposes, when you need to produce quality content at scale. SEOs used to rely on spintax and basic decision trees to publish a large number of pages. Today, with the right prompt, you can use GPT-3 via the API (with Python and Google Sheets) to generate your content before publication.

Let’s say for instance that you have a few data points about a series of CRM platforms. You can concatenate all the data about a company in a single cell (or create the structured payload as a single string in Python). Then you’ll call the API with a simple prompt: Write a short reader-friendly description of the {company name} based on the following data:

company name: Clickup
usp: Save time with the all-in-one productivity platform that brings teams, tasks, and tools together in one place.
date of creation: 2017
location: San Diego, California, USA
funding so far: $537.5M
latest valuation: $4B
pricing plans: free, $5 (unlimited), $12 (business), $19 (business plus) per month
pricing model: per month per member
most popular plan: $12 
main competitors: asana, basecamp, wrike, monday.com 

In less than one second, you’ll get the following paragraph.

Clickup is an all-in-one productivity platform that helps teams work more efficiently by bringing everything they need together in one place. Since its creation in 2017 in San Diego, California, the company has raised $537.5M in funding, and has a current valuation of $4B. With flexible pricing plans to fit any budget and team size, Clickup offers a free plan, as well as options for unlimited access for $5 per month per member, or more advanced business plans for $12 or $19 per month per member. The most popular plan is the $12 per month per member business plan. Clickup's main competitors include Asana, Basecamp, Wrike, and Monday.com. With Clickup, teams can save time and streamline their workflow.

You can of course include more data points and generate longer descriptions based on a more sophisticated outline, incl. intermediary headlines (H2, H3,…) which will improve your SEO.

Use Generative AI to convert a blog article into a podcast

Eating my own dog food, I’ve converted half of this article (excl. images and code snippets) into a nicely voiced podcast using Microsoft Azure’s state-of-the-art neural voices.

Here’s the recording. 🤖🎙

Thanks for reading. 👏

I’ll keep on updating this article with other examples of generative AI use cases.