An interview with Mason Boyd.

Kyle Egan – What are your feelings on AI being more present in the media field?

Mason Boyd – I think it’s very interesting to say the least. I think we’re kind of living in a time where the AI bubble is really expanding right now. I think it’s in everything. No matter where you look, it’s going to be there.

I’m not the biggest fan of AI to begin with. But, I think it’s actually given a lot of very useful tools. I know Photoshop’s generative AI has made their select subjects and stuff a lot better.

It’s conflicting because as somebody who personally doesn’t really like it, there’s a lot of tools that are genuinely saving people in the digital media field hours of time.

Kyle Egan – You say you don’t like it, but my next question here is, have you ever incorporated AI in some projects you’ve done?

Mason Boyd – Yeah, of course I have. Like I was just saying, there’s a lot of AI tools in photoshop now, and it makes your job a lot easier. I’ve used generative fill, which is a tool in Photoshop that just let’s you create more of an image based on the information that’s already given.

It’s a love hate relationship, but I’ve definitely used it in a lot of my projects.

Kyle Egan – With AI getting more and more advanced, does it bother you a little that some people can’t tell the difference between human and AI made projects?

Mason Boyd – Yeah, of course it does.

That’s where my personal distaste from it comes from. I think that my girlfriend’s mom will send her things all the time, and it’s just blatantly AI. I think it’s a really violent and powerful tool against the uneducated.

Kyle Egan – Do you agree that AI should be treated as a tool?

Mason Boyd – Yeah.

I think realistically, we’re all going to have to use it. It’s going to be here for the rest of our lives. I think that there’s more negatives coming out of it then there are positives at this point. But as a tool alone, it’s wonderful.

It can save time. It can save money, It can save resources.

Kyle Egan – When you’re out searching for a job, would you consider employers if they use AI in their workflow?

Mason Boyd – Yeah, I definitely would. And again, in a perfect world, I guess none of it would really be in it. But, living in the state that we live in now, I don’t think you have a choice.

Look at some of the biggest ads you’ve seen. There was a Super Bowl ad a couple years ago that Coca-Cola did, and that had a ton of AI, and it was very obvious. And, if Coke is using AI in their Super Bowl ads, everybody’s going to use it too.

Kyle Egan – Do you think with what you said, how Coca-Cola pretty much used AI for their commercials, do you think AI is threatening jobs in the media production industry?

Mason Boyd – Yeah, it’s very scary.

When you boil it down, all these things that are saving time and saving resources, That was somebody’s job. That’s the time and resources you’re saving. So, I think it’s only going to get worse. It’s definitely very threatening to the digital media field, which is really scary. But, you have to do what you have to do. You have to adapt and you have to work with it if you want to stay relevant.

Kyle Egan – If you had to implement AI in your workflow, what would you have it do for you?

Mason Boyd – I love creating. What I struggle with is a concept. So, if I had AI pump out ideas to me, this would be cool. That’s what I would use it for. I would use it for just getting started with an idea.

That’s definitely the part that takes the longest amount of time. getting an idea, especially when you’re by yourself. When you’re working alone.

There’s nobody to bounce ideas off of.

Kyle Egan – Should people starting out in the field be worried about the use of AI being more common?

Mason Boyd – Yeah, I think you should. AI has changed so much in the last two, three years, and now it’s the point where it’s like, wow this could just do my job.

I think people should be worried about it. But, there’s not much you can do about it. You can’t stop it. You kind of have to do your best to maneuver around it.

End of interview.

Follow Mason Boyd on Instagram here.