On The Future of AI Fonts
AI fonts seem like a real possibility now, as the latest generation of AI models is tackling typography and graphic design, creating an unease within the design community. We wanted to explore the latest developments and see whether AI is actually capable of type design comparable to that of a professional typographer.
AI Fonts and Non-Human Typography
We've recently noticed an increased interest in AI in virtually every aspect of our lives. AI fonts, which had previously seemed like a distant possibility, are now just one ChatGPT subscription away.
Whenever a new AI feature is released, Twitter always has an outcry announcing the industry's inevitable collapse. We wanted to address our concern with the latest developments and explain why an AI-generated font will never be a valid substitute for a typeface designed by a professional designer. While we know some of our points may apply to other industries, we'll concentrate on typography and fonts, as they are our main areas of expertise.
Creativity vs Meticulousness
Typography, and particularly type design, isn't a very creative pursuit. Of course, it's not entirely devoid of creativity, but for the most part, the job of a type designer is being meticulous. Designing a typeface takes months and sometimes even years. This time is mainly spent perfecting Bezier curves, adjusting kerning, and tweaking contrast. These adjustments may seem imperceptible initially, but these minute details make type design tricky. One of the best qualities of a type designer is thoroughness and meticulousness. A great typeface isn't always the flashiest, but one that works as a self-contained system in which every letter and symbol is well thought out and designed.
For now, one of the things that AI lacks is consistency, which, given that it's a large language model that produces no original thought of its own, is a flaw that's not likely to get patched soon. AI fonts may be a fun experiment, but nothing will replace the skill and thoroughness of a professional type designer. You can come up with a cool-looking idea, but it won't hold up to scrutiny from either a technical or stylistic standpoint.
↑ The first iteration of a prompt 'high contrast experimental typeface'
Genuine vs Artificial
To design good fonts, you'd also need to discern good ideas from bad and pick original ideas over kitch—all that is overused, shallow, and uninteresting. Being a professional type designer takes humanity, perception, taste, and love for your craft—all the qualities AI desperately lacks.
For us at Groteskly Yours Studio, any work done by a human is better than that of a robot, however advanced and human-like. For us, it's not just a matter of preference or some subjective pro-human agenda — it's our way of looking at work, life, and our place in the ever-changing AI-dominated modern landscape. There's a reason why a microwavable steak and mashed potatoes will never taste as good as the same meal prepared by a chef — microwavable food is being routinely manufactured, not cooked with love and care.
AI fonts (and any work of art produced by AI) work the same: just as you wouldn't want to treat your loved ones to a machine-made dinner, and you won't want a reused, AI-generated, and likely copied font design for your branding. Human-made typography will always be superior to that of a machine.
↑ Each image is an attempt to make AI-generated letters more experimental
Source for AI Font Models
As type designers, one of the more significant issues we have with the proliferation of AI fonts is what source material is being used to train these models to produce images with well-defined letters and characters. While none of the examples of AI fonts we've seen are vector-perfect, they are relatively faithful representations of existing letters, often masterfully styled to match the prompt.
For brands planning to use AI fonts in the future, this seemingly cost-effective decision may result in a lawsuit from the rightful owner of the design whose work has been adapted by the AI. Likewise, this is likely a moot point for designers planning to use AI fonts in their work, as designers are often responsible for ensuring the usage complies with the foundry's licensing policies.
An infinitely more interesting implementation of AI technology would be the ability to create AI models trained exclusively on your own work. Once again, it's still unlikely that anything worthwhile would result from that, but that's one way to ensure no one else's work is being used to generate an AI font.
↑ The model clearly uses the same reference to create an 'experimental' AI font in separate chats
Is There A Future for AI Fonts?
The past couple of years saw a massive improvement in the quality of AI-produced work. Yet, despite all that, we are still at a point where any work produced by an AI is inferior to that of a human, both technically and stylistically.
With AI fonts, this trend will likely continue along the same well-trodden track of seeing a massive spike in interest, followed by a general disillusionment caused by the poor quality of work, lack of originality, reused structures, etc. AI fonts will likely be a hot topic for type designers looking to adapt to this new technology and adjust their workflows to integrate it properly.
New things always seem shinier at first. So, while the craze for AI typography is raving, we at Groteskly Yours Studio will remain true to our expertise and continue to develop fonts and typefaces that are not just functional and good-looking but also 100% human-made.
AI Fonts and Non-Human Typography
We've recently noticed an increased interest in AI in virtually every aspect of our lives. AI fonts, which had previously seemed like a distant possibility, are now just one ChatGPT subscription away.
Whenever a new AI feature is released, Twitter always has an outcry announcing the industry's inevitable collapse. We wanted to address our concern with the latest developments and explain why an AI-generated font will never be a valid substitute for a typeface designed by a professional designer. While we know some of our points may apply to other industries, we'll concentrate on typography and fonts, as they are our main areas of expertise.
Creativity vs Meticulousness
Typography, and particularly type design, isn't a very creative pursuit. Of course, it's not entirely devoid of creativity, but for the most part, the job of a type designer is being meticulous. Designing a typeface takes months and sometimes even years. This time is mainly spent perfecting Bezier curves, adjusting kerning, and tweaking contrast. These adjustments may seem imperceptible initially, but these minute details make type design tricky. One of the best qualities of a type designer is thoroughness and meticulousness. A great typeface isn't always the flashiest, but one that works as a self-contained system in which every letter and symbol is well thought out and designed.
For now, one of the things that AI lacks is consistency, which, given that it's a large language model that produces no original thought of its own, is a flaw that's not likely to get patched soon. AI fonts may be a fun experiment, but nothing will replace the skill and thoroughness of a professional type designer. You can come up with a cool-looking idea, but it won't hold up to scrutiny from either a technical or stylistic standpoint.
↑ The first iteration of a prompt 'high contrast experimental typeface'
Genuine vs Artificial
To design good fonts, you'd also need to discern good ideas from bad and pick original ideas over kitch—all that is overused, shallow, and uninteresting. Being a professional type designer takes humanity, perception, taste, and love for your craft—all the qualities AI desperately lacks.
For us at Groteskly Yours Studio, any work done by a human is better than that of a robot, however advanced and human-like. For us, it's not just a matter of preference or some subjective pro-human agenda — it's our way of looking at work, life, and our place in the ever-changing AI-dominated modern landscape. There's a reason why a microwavable steak and mashed potatoes will never taste as good as the same meal prepared by a chef — microwavable food is being routinely manufactured, not cooked with love and care.
AI fonts (and any work of art produced by AI) work the same: just as you wouldn't want to treat your loved ones to a machine-made dinner, and you won't want a reused, AI-generated, and likely copied font design for your branding. Human-made typography will always be superior to that of a machine.
↑ Each image is an attempt to make AI-generated letters more experimental
Source for AI Font Models
As type designers, one of the more significant issues we have with the proliferation of AI fonts is what source material is being used to train these models to produce images with well-defined letters and characters. While none of the examples of AI fonts we've seen are vector-perfect, they are relatively faithful representations of existing letters, often masterfully styled to match the prompt.
For brands planning to use AI fonts in the future, this seemingly cost-effective decision may result in a lawsuit from the rightful owner of the design whose work has been adapted by the AI. Likewise, this is likely a moot point for designers planning to use AI fonts in their work, as designers are often responsible for ensuring the usage complies with the foundry's licensing policies.
An infinitely more interesting implementation of AI technology would be the ability to create AI models trained exclusively on your own work. Once again, it's still unlikely that anything worthwhile would result from that, but that's one way to ensure no one else's work is being used to generate an AI font.
↑ The model clearly uses the same reference to create an 'experimental' AI font in separate chats
Is There A Future for AI Fonts?
The past couple of years saw a massive improvement in the quality of AI-produced work. Yet, despite all that, we are still at a point where any work produced by an AI is inferior to that of a human, both technically and stylistically.
With AI fonts, this trend will likely continue along the same well-trodden track of seeing a massive spike in interest, followed by a general disillusionment caused by the poor quality of work, lack of originality, reused structures, etc. AI fonts will likely be a hot topic for type designers looking to adapt to this new technology and adjust their workflows to integrate it properly.
New things always seem shinier at first. So, while the craze for AI typography is raving, we at Groteskly Yours Studio will remain true to our expertise and continue to develop fonts and typefaces that are not just functional and good-looking but also 100% human-made.