Aethro and AI: The Drama is Overrated

At Aethro, we use AI because it is a valuable tool. It helps with graphics, generates pages, and diagnoses coding issues. It makes running things smoother and more efficient, and we are not about to waste time pretending otherwise. Yet, there is always a crowd of anti-AI voices, especially among some graphic designers, claiming it is ruining creativity. Let’s break that down.

First, let’s talk about the difference between using a design program and using AI. Traditional design software provides templates, text effects, and shape tools. You type in text, pick a font, adjust a few settings, and out comes a polished logo or banner. That is automation. AI works in a similar way at first glance. You enter a prompt, and it generates an image based on that input. The difference is that AI does not rely on static templates. It adapts, interprets, and generates countless variations from scratch, learning from vast datasets to refine the results.

So when someone complains about AI while using software that generates their graphics with a few clicks, the irony is hard to ignore. If you are upset that AI can create an image from text, but you are fine with software doing the same thing in a limited capacity, you are not actually against automation. You just do not like that AI has taken it further.

Could we have everything fully hand-drawn? Absolutely. Jack, my husband and co-owner of Aethro, is an incredible artist. If I asked, he could create every graphic from scratch. But when I change my mind more often than I change socks, it is not fair to expect him to redo everything constantly. AI lets me make quick design changes without pulling Jack away from more important creative projects.

At its core, AI is just a tool. It does not replace skill, creativity, or effort. It takes on repetitive tasks so real artists can focus on what matters. If you are going to call AI-generated work illegitimate while using design software that automates half your process, maybe it is time to rethink what creativity really means.

Aethro is not afraid to mix tradition with innovation. We understand that human talent and technology can work together. If you are still convinced that using a program with auto-generated design elements is somehow more “real” than using AI, you might just need to sit down and update your perspective.