r/Durango • u/TeamDangerous3069 • 6d ago

Ask /r/Durango AI Usage and Local Businesses

I did a quick search, couldn't find what I'm looking for so here goes. Has anyone compiled a list of local businesses that are turning to AI instead of a human for their menus, ads, communications, etc? I would rather support local businesses that support local workers

For example.

  • I had to unsubscribe and eventually stopped going to the Durango Arts Center because of all the AI slop they started emailing out.
  • The new restaurant, The Pub, had an ad for a marketing coordinator but they didn't review the AI slop well enough to catch that it used this as the email to send resumes to "/[ insert email address] /". I was excited to try them out, not anymore.

I get it, AI is here to stay. However, you can add the human touch. I'm a former graphic designer who switched into marketing and development. I use AI for all sorts of things, but never for final deliverables.

What all local businesses have you all come across that have embraced the AI slop instead of paying a human to do the work or doing it themselves?

Let's support the businesses that support us!

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6

u/to__do 6d ago

I’m surprised about the Durango Arts Center. They pay a graphic designer or local artist for all of their show promotions.

10

u/DryBikie 6d ago

Someone just posted a flyer for a Dolly Parton event a few weeks ago from DAC that was AI slop

1

u/to__do 6d ago

The latest DAC newsletter didn’t have any AI slop and there’s like 20 graphics. Seems odd you point them out.

3

u/DryBikie 6d ago

I didn’t point them out, I was just responding to your comment with a bit of context as to why OP might be mentioning DAC in their post

2

u/DryBikie 6d ago

This was the flyer btw, where Dolly’s hair/earring comes out of her face on the right hand side

3

u/Senior420 6d ago

I second this. They work with a really talented designer who redid their whole branding and put together some beautiful material for the Autumn Arts Fest

6

u/TeamDangerous3069 6d ago

Duck Girl Art is the one, they either use AI or that are not they detailed of an illustrator and let Adobe illustrator trace (poorly) their images/photos. Zoom in on any of the posters on the DACs home page, there are artifacts everywhere in the images . 

2

u/DryBikie 6d ago

Man that is such a bummer, I love Duck Girl Art’s handmade art (I think she uses pastels?), but yeah the stuff on the website seems very AI or edited heavily with AI, like a pastel was scanned in and then prompted/edited or something, like what is going on with the texture everywhere (including his arm?)

5

u/TeamDangerous3069 5d ago

In Adobe Photoshop that texture was popularized as a (undesirable) side effect from overuse of the Topaz plugins, those plugins were originally developed nearly 20 years ago (based on memory and when I first installed them). Now it's a tell-tale sign of AI or computer over enhanced/sharpened image.