From Heisei Mac to Reiwa AI: How an Oaxaca-based noter practices using tools without being controlled by them

Hello. I am Saru, living in Oaxaca.

I have also written several articles about how to use and approach AI.

Suddenly, I realized... this feeling toward AI,
I've experienced this before!?

That's it!
When Mac,
Illustrator, and Photoshop appeared—
it's the same feeling as when there was a major change in the world of graphic design!!

This is a story from the past.

I used to work in graphic design, including creating print layouts.
After working in studio lighting at a TV station.

I was a geek in my student days, applying for manga contests and drawing manga using ink, G-pens, and screentones.

So, during my time creating layouts,

I would do things like specify phototypesetting, use point size and leading charts, specify colors, cut and paste materials, and mark up photos.

Young people who don't know what that means, try searching for it. Lol

The time I changed jobs to an advertising design department was exactly the transition period from methods done by hand to a convenient era where you could easily do many things by introducing a Mac.

What I felt back then was,

that by using the convenient effects of Illustrator, you could easily create something that looked decent.

Often, rather than thinking about the design, I would think about and create designs using the easily accessible effects.

The effects were fun,
like abusing decorative fonts,
or having flashy gradients.

It wasn't cool, but I thought it was amazing that I could easily finish things to look flashy and decent.

But I also had a period where I worried, what is this? Can you even call it design?

Now, with AI, you can create as many good-looking texts and generated images as you want just by giving instructions.

Somehow, it reminded me of things from decades ago.

To summarize.

Mac in the past: An era where we were satisfied with creating flashy gradients and outlined text with a single click.

AI now: An era where you can produce a certain level of results in a short time by outputting AI-specific "overly polished text" or "too beautiful images" as they are.

Back then, I feel like many people in the same profession were designing because they wanted to show off the functions of Illustrator.
I feel the same about AI now, but the difference I feel is.

Back then, it was "showing off functions".
Now, it is "prioritizing time performance".

Although the purpose is different,
I feel the structure of being pulled by the tools is similar.

Looking back at the past.
I feel like I'm starting to see the answer to how I should use AI in my own way.

What do you think happens when people stop thinking?

Isn't it still only humans who can create something from nothing?
Or rather.

That is what I hope for these days.

Interestingly, when looking at note.

People like me, who polish their articles using AI, can tell when others have used AI for their writing.

Apparently, this is a common occurrence these days.

In the same way, there might be people who read my writing and think, 'Is this...?' Haha.

But that doesn't mean I want to judge whether that's good or bad.
The final form of an article—I always think that I want to polish it as my own writing.

After finishing reading.

Sometimes I think,
It's easy to read and,
it lines up a lot of cool words, but.it doesn't resonate with my heart.

There are times when I think that.

From the very beginning,

Wow, this smells strongly of AI!

Or things like that. I sometimes feel that way (no offense).

To me, that feels similar to the early days when Macs were first introduced to the world of graphics.

But now, there are wonderful works created using Macs, Illustrator, and Photoshop, aren't there?

I think that over time, it became not about designs danced by machines,

but the result of people taking the time to properly master the software.

Therefore,I have a faint hope that we will be able to use AI well as a tool, too.

I sometimes ask AI, 'Does my writing smell like AI?'

Then, the AI said something interesting.

Saru-san's 'AI polishing' is like sharpening a kitchen knife.

If an article created by AI is 'average, decent-tasting instant food',
my articles are apparently 'dishes cooked with the knife called AI, using prey (experiences) I hunted myself.'

Even though it's AI! I thought the analogy was clever. Haha.

Not rushing to cook for the sake of time performance, but sharpening the knife to make delicious food.

Not being swept away by new tools, but writing articles that make readers think, 'That's interesting!'—that is how I approach AI.

My articles are the result of carefully building up my own experiences and thoughts. AI is just a tool, after all.

Today, I will continue to build experiences in Mexico and Oaxaca and write articles that make readers go 'wow'.
While incorporating AI polishing, I aim to create unique writing that no one else can easily imitate. That is the form I am striving for.

By the way, I may be writing as if I'm some expert.
I'm not saying my articles are interesting. Lol

As a creator, how do you use AI?

▼ Here is how I use it.