3 Ways an AI Project on Roman Emperors Can Improve Your Content

I don’t expect AI to be realistic. It literally means “artificial” intelligence. But Daniel Voshart recently used machine learning to bring statues of Roman Emperors back to life. The results are fascinating, creepy, and insightful for content marketers looking for new perspectives and inspiration.

Distinguish Yourself From the Robots

To create his portraits, Voshart used ArtBreeder, a machine learning software program, that can generate new images based on the compilation of others. Many users will combine wildly different images to create something new, but in his case Voshart was combining likenesses of emperors gathered from statues, coins, and paintings.

He then tweaked the auto-generated likenesses manually in Photoshop, using historical descriptions and other context. He repeated this process until he had what he called results with “the best photorealistic quality and avoiding falling down the path into the uncanny valley.”

Statues and AI portraits of Emperors Augustus (left) and Maximinus Thrax (right) created by Daniel Voshart

The ability to use tools is not what separates humans from other animals. Just ask the New Caledonian Crow. What separates humans from (most) other species, and definitely from robots, is our ability to apply unique insights and learnings with tools to create something new.

If Voshart had simply created “uncanny” likenesses using AI, that would have looked very similar to the statues, but they probably wouldn’t be particularly realistic or interesting.

The same applies to your content. Yes, a student recently got to the top of a Hacker News’ most read articles by using an algorithm called GPT-3 to automatically create blog content. However, he acknowledged its limitations: the software was not convincingly logical or rational. (So he chose a topic that “doesn’t require logic,” productivity and self-help...the jokes write themselves.)

Anyone can auto generate content with the right programming. But they can’t create good content or original content, and they definitely can’t create on-brand content.

So don’t be a bot. Originality is what sets you and your brand apart (and is what will--possibly--save us from a robot takeover.)

Consider Unusual Sources for Inspiration

Voshart said of his work, “What I’m doing is an artistic interpretation of an artistic interpretation.” He desired to create original and convincing portraits, not copies. Sometimes this meant borrowing from pop culture to heighten the realism of his work.

To customize Augustus, he plugged in images of Daniel Craig. To create Maximinus Thrax (I don’t remember him but he sounds like a badass.), Voshart fed the AI images of Andre the Giant, because history suggests that Thrax has the same pituitary gland disorder as actor André René Roussimoff, with a lantern jaw, thick brow and towering frame.

Using images of Andre the Giant, Voshart was able to recreate a portrait of Maximinus Thrax. | Image by John McKeon

Voshart called the process “almost alchemical, relying on a careful mix of inputs to create the finished product.” Vezzik would have called it, “No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.”

Your content is an art form. If it’s feeling stale, revisit your sources of inspiration. Do you read the same blogs and listen to the same podcasts? Do you read anything outside of the industries you represent? If not, that sounds boring TBH. Get outside of your content zone.

Here are a few ideas to recharge your content: Watch an episode of Schitt’s Creek. Pick a word or phrase (Even better, ask your friends to do it) and then try to write a blog post incorporating that word or phrase into a blog post. Ask yourself, what would (insert pop culture hero) say about (relevant topic)? For example, I might imagine what Kurt Vonnegut thinks about drones. Or what Carl Winslow thinks about Kanye West.

Repurpose History...and Content

There are few truly original ideas. Most creative genius is simply a build on something else. About every romantic comedy except Bridesmaids is based on Jane Austen or Shakespeare.

In other words, it's OK to repurpose something good. Voshart did it with his fresh take on the likenesses of Romans. Movie producers do it with an updated take on a classic 1980s movie. And don’t get me started on sequels…

Why are there so many sequels? It’s often easier to build on a successful model. Ask Marvel Comics.

So make like the Beastie Boys and sample your own work to create something new. Start with what you know already works, and then make it fresh with new social media posts, updated blogs (keep the SEO, improve the date) and really anything.

Repurposing your old content for digital marketing has several benefits.

You may think that repurposing your own blog articles or social media posts is a lazy approach to content marketing. Managing a business isn’t easy so I won’t fault you if you pick a few of your old content and reuse them. That said, doing this exact same thing has several benefits.

For instance, revising your old content sends a good signal to search engines that your site is well-maintained and could potentially boost your search ranking. Getting updated numbers on your data-driven posts opens up opportunities for link building. You may even compile some of them and create an ebook that could generate leads for your mailing list.

Inspiration is everywhere. Embrace your rabbit holes. While it might seem a waste of time at first, it could be an inspiration that improves your content.

Got any cool tips or tricks for finding inspiration? Share them with me in the comments section below.