creativity Archives - usatoday24

Etsy was a haven for crafts and creativity. It has become a minefield of AI-generated images

December 1, 2025 by usatoday24

That AI leaves us without jobs It is one of the great concerns of recent years. It is not yet clear what it will be the impact of AI on the labor marketWhat we do know is that There are people doing business taking advantage of generative AI. This is what’s happening on Etsy, where there is an overwhelming amount of “custom art” for sale that is actually made with AI. what’s happening. Etsy is the platform for artists par excellence. Here we can order a personalized portrait of our pet or family in a multitude of styles. Everything normal, except that many of the results if we search for “custom portrait” They are images made by AI. If we look for specific styles that have recently gone viral such as Ghibli, anime or Pixar, AI dominates practically everything. Also, some are not exactly cheap, like this Ghibli style portrait which costs almost 20 euros in digital format. If we want to print it it goes up to more than 46 euros. Why is it important. AI is here to stay and The debate about whether we can consider it art is there. The problem is that, at least for now, the lack of transparency is flagrant. I’ve searched for these types of “custom portraits” on Etsy and have only found a couple of sellers that mentioned the use of AI in the creative process, The rest is not only that they don’t mention it, it’s that they say things like “Original work of art” or “I can’t wait to draw you.” There is a clear intention to hide the use of generative AI. The objective is obvious: to capture an audience that does not know how AI tools work and to whom paying 20 euros for a “personalized portrait” seems like a more than reasonable price. Shall we tell them? AI for everything. Not only do they make the items with AI, there are stores that seem to be managed entirely by one. Some buyers say they felt like they were talking to an AI, which they probably did. There are stores where all the titles, descriptions and comments in response to reviews are clearly made with AI. In fact, Etsy itself launched a few months ago a tool to create titles using artificial intelligence. When you upload an article you can mark that it is made with AI. What Etsy says. Despite the rejection from a large part of the communitythe platform allows the sale of items generated with AI. According to the standards that were published in 2024Etsy considers that the seller continues to provide creativity when designing the prompt, but yes: “Sellers must indicate in the description of their listing if an item has been created with the use of AI.” However, given the volume of unlabeled AI-generated products, it seems they are quite lax about this. More deceptions. In addition to selling AI-generated images by passing them off as handmade, there are other uses of AI to boost sales. We already saw it with the impossible to sew crochet patternsthere are sellers using AI images to promote your products (real) and we have also found it in some Amazon items; It’s the classic “what you ask for vs what you get.” And there is still more. At Idealista they are also using AI in house sale ads “so you can see how it would look renovated.” Vertiginous. At the beginning of the year we talked about the junk AI that was filling Instagram and TikTok; They were very disturbing videos, but it was very evident that they were made with AI. The examples we have given are also easy to detect for a trained eye, but the advances are dizzying. Today, distinguish what is real and what is not practically impossible. Hoaxes like Etsy’s “AI art” will be an anecdote compared to what is to come. Image | Etsy In Xataka | AI is transforming the relationship we have with our own ideas: we no longer create, we just “edit” ourselves

What happens to human creativity when thousands of human creatives fall in love with AI

November 6, 2025 by usatoday24

It is not every day that one attends an event taking a walk with the sea and the sunrise in the background. But that’s just what happened to us Upscale Confa conference organized by the Spanish company freepik. The objective: to serve as a meeting point for a creative community that is absolutely dedicated to the world of AI. It is the third edition of Upscale Confthe second in Malaga —San Francisco was the other venue in May—and it is clear that we are facing what is little by little becoming one of the great events of the intersection between human creativity and creativity? of generative AI models. It doesn’t seem like attendees have too many doubts about it. After the almost inevitable queue for accreditations, two days of talks, workshops and much, much begin. networking. Showing a QR code on your mobile to connect to LinkedIn is the modern version of the business cards of yesteryear. To me, a very occasional user of this network, I find that surprising and very invasive: hey, I might not want to follow you on LinkedIn. I liked it better when you simply asked for the email—which didn’t commit you as much—and even more when people gave you their business card, which was almost like a trading card from before. You didn’t just keep business cards: you almost collected them. That time seems to have almost vanished. AI democratizes creativity made into an image Be that as it may, once inside the atmosphere is surprisingly optimistic. No one here seems to be worried about being replaced by an AI, something that It has already begun to be seen in China in 2023 in creative works. There are no nerves or restlessness in the respectable: only expectation and acceptance of an apparent reality. The one that AI is here and no one is going to stop it. Compared to other conferences with a more technical background, here is a scent of discovery. Wanting to know what this can give. To listen to the people who are trying to be the spearhead explain how their relationship with AI is going in what was theoretically the last frontier that AI would never conquer, human creativity. I come across attendees from here and there and I ask two of them what their motivation is for attending Upscale Conf. Andy and Antonio are from a tourism agency in Malaga and they explain to me that they already use AI in the software development part, but curiously, not so much in the visual and creative part. The argument is forceful: “in the tourism sector, using artificial photos can be very dangerous.” And yet, they come to take the pulse of this apparent revolution and learn from it. What I find everywhere are very diverse profiles and, curiously, not necessarily linked to the creative segment. I speak with (another) Antonio, who like me has gray hair and who, like me, is also optimistic about the future of AI. He is not creative, but rather helps companies understand the potential of AI for a fundamental aspect: productivity. And like the kids from Malaga, you are here to learn, discover and be inspired. Four guys who are talking animatedly tell me the same thing practically when I interrupt them and ask them what sectors they come from. There is a little bit of everything. One of the boys, a content creator, took advantage of current tools to demonstrate that kitten olympics They can have a lot of pull. DEPT’s Marten Kuipers made it clear that not everyone sees this creative AI thing as a good idea. He, like the rest of the attendees, has a different opinion. Two others, in the real estate segment, are investigating possible uses of generative image and video AI for their business. The fourth, in the consulting branch, explains to me that the other great reason is not only to learn, but a classic of events: networking. Meet people and make yourself known. Putting faces to people with whom you had been exchanging messages for months (or years?) on Twitter (sorry, X) or on Instagram or LinkedIn. From IG or TikTok influencers to creatives who take advantage of AI But in all cases, we insist, absolutely optimistic atmosphere between professionals from both sides who seem to see this as an opportunity. One in which some are certainly making gold: several of the speakers at the event are new stars in the firmament of content creators. PJ Accetturo during his presentation explaining how to make a viral video. The idea is still the important thing, the process and the prompts are surprisingly “normal”. For example, PJ Accetturo, creator of the famous trailer for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in Studio Ghibli style…before OpenAI I would copy the idea. Or Yonatan Dor, who have managed to get their gritty videos created with AI—using the image of Trump, Musk or Kamala Harris—become viral phenomena that already have hundreds of millions of visits. AI helps, but it doesn’t come close to doing everything. Laura Pin showed in her 90-minute workshop how she combines Midjourney, nanobanana, Magnific, Topaz AI, Photoshop and Lightroom to achieve just what she had in her head. The attention to detail is extraordinary. We walked through the different conferences and workshops and, as in any event, we found a little of everything. The days begin with the entrance of Linus Ekenstam (@LinusEkenstam), popularizer and influencer of this segment, who acts as master of ceremonies throughout the event. As a good communicator, you know some useful tricks: Start with a good personal story to hook attendees. He tells how when he was little a friend gave him a computer and he slept with the machine next to him, like a stuffed animal, because he was afraid that that treasure would be stolen. Joaquín Cuenca, CEO of Freepik, announcing the launch of the new collaborative service on his platform, called Freepik Spaces. Then it comes Joaquin Cuencafounder and CEO … Read more

Bill Gates has been using a powerful tool for creativity and innovation for years: loneliness

August 3, 2025 by usatoday24

Loneliness has Very bad reputation. As the neuroscientific nicole vignola assured In one of its conferencesthe negativity bias is very powerful when talking about it. As Remember From the European Institute of Positive Psychology, “loneliness is not being alone, it is the ability to be with no one.” However, loneliness intentional and well understoodIt is the Perfect culture broth To shape To the great ideas and as a tool to build the foundations of self -confidence and mental balance. Many of the great technological, scientific or artistic achievements have been possible because, at a given time, their drivers They have moved away from everything and everyone To concentrate on shaping your ideas. His brains only needed A little loneliness. When the urgent eclipse to the important At present there is more value to what The New York Times called “Hustle culture“, To have the agenda of the day to overflow with tasks, instead of the real luxury that is to keep it completely empty and allocate time to think in the really important. How are creative and innovative ideas to arise if We don’t even spend time thinking about them and why not, to wander? That superpower of emptying the agenda and allocating time to reflect is something Bill Gates learned from his friend and mentor Warren Buffet, as confessed in A joint interview. Science has demonstrated That letting your brain rest and not doing anything is like letting your brain release in an amusement park. In that context, loneliness is a great ally. As shown in the Netflix series ‘Bill Gates: Under the magnifying glass’Microsoft’s founding millionaire is taken every year a “week of reflection”, in which solitude is withdrawn to a refuge in nature to read, reflect and generate new ideas. According The published by The Wall Street JournalHence, initiatives such as Microsoft Internet Explorer browser emerged in 1995. It has not been the only one, such and as stood out Susan Cain in The New York Times, “Steve Wozniak achieved the work (to unite the components of the first Apple) – the hard work of creating something from nothing – did it alone. At the time of the morning, completely alone.” Some of the great masterpieces of literature or art have emerged from intentional isolation of its authors. Of take distance from the noisy world and let the brain stop receiving external stimuli that distract him from what really matters: generate new ideas. The science of success of being alone Scientific evidence confirms what the great geniuses of technology or art have already demonstrated. Even Seneca dedicated a good part of his Morales Epistles to Lucilio to the noble art of reflection in solitude and its benefits. According to a joint study Of the universities of Michigan and Harvard, highly intelligent people often experience greater vital satisfaction when they reduce their frequency of social interaction. “Participants with high intellectual coefficient expressed higher levels of satisfaction when their social contact was more sporadic.” This finding has been confirmed by parallel investigations from the University of Buffalo, which conclude that people who enjoy the solitude voluntarily They show high levels of creativity and self -reflection. Alone According to He counted to CNBC Joseph Jebelli, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington and author of the book ‘The Brain at Rest ‘spend time with oneself and let the brain Rest without stimuli nor external conditioning could be key in personal and professional development. The expert ensures that There is no perfect amount of loneliness And it depends on each person, but points out that the more values those moments of loneliness and self -reflection, the better it will be for your brain because more opportunities will have to wander and Connect unconnected ideas and abstract knowledge to generate a new one. Jebelli recommends starting in a simple way and intentionally searching for 10 minutes of loneliness per day in a quiet place “where they do not bother you and take advantage of that time to sit and breathe. This small step can help the brain to enter a state of relaxation and to start the activation process of the activation of the default neuronal network“ The neuroscientist not only recommends taking care of the moments of loneliness, but also being selective with the moments of socializationseeking that “it is a significant and quality activity. Many of us spend time with people with whom we should not because we feel forced.” According to Jebelli, this “toxic” socialization increases blood cortisol levels causing them to be harmful to mental and physical health. More and more people travel alone or They look for isolated retreats as a way to reconnect with themselves and reduce the social overestimulation, As documented The confidential. This phenomenon is perceived as an act of autolide and not negative isolation, and allows Strengthen self -esteem and provide people with psychological tools to improve the way they face day -to -day challenges and problems. In Xataka | Bill Gates cost, but he learned it: science has known for years that work addiction sinks productivity Image | Unspash (Chris Nagahama, Magnus Lindvall, Gaspar Zaldo), Flickr (World Bank Photo Collection)

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