I’m preparing a blog about AI, Artificial Intelligence, which has plenty of good attributes for certain work, and also comes with a whole host of problems. We’ll post that commentary soon. In the interim this is a blog that features some photographs of our three. Sarah wrote a quick outline of what it was all about – a break at Terrigal, with a taste of the ocean and beach, and the children deciding (finally) that they’d like to do a few Terrigal family portraits together.

Sarah, trying things out, ran the text through AI to see what it could do. It’s published here for your “enjoyment”:

“Last year, our family embarked on a delightful holiday to the picturesque Central Coast of New South Wales. This charming destination held a special place in our hearts, having been the backdrop for a few memorable vacations in the past. This time, we chose the winter months for our getaway, envisioning a cozy resort pool, a balcony perfect for reading, a nearby café for leisurely strolls, and plenty of scenic locations for our avid photographer, David.

Our stars aligned as we found a time that coincided with both school and university holidays, ensuring that every member of our family could partake in the joyous adventure.

Fortune smiled upon us with a remarkable stretch of weather—a purple patch, if you will. Warm, sunny days invited the kids to swim gleefully, while breathtaking sunsets painted the sky each evening, creating a magical atmosphere throughout the week.

As our stay drew to a close, our middle teenager, inspired by the scenic beauty, approached David with a unique request. She expressed her desire to venture down to the rocks at dusk, hoping to capture some Instagram-worthy photos. The experience turned out to be not only enjoyable for her but also yielded stunning images that we all cherished.

Encouraged by the success, the following afternoon saw us returning to the rocky shores, this time with the entire brood in tow. It had been quite some time since we had managed to capture “proper” photos of our three children. Amidst the hustle of work, studies, and capturing moments for other families, we had inadvertently neglected to document our own precious moments.

The impromptu Terrigal family portrait session turned out to be a highlight of our vacation, freezing moments in time that we can now treasure forever. The lesson learned was a valuable one – amidst the busyness of life, it’s essential to pause and create lasting memories with the ones we hold dear. As we browse through these captured moments, we are reminded that sometimes, the most beautiful portraits are the ones that tell the story of our own journey.”

It’s simplistic, impersonal, laughably insincere, and worst of all, a crime against literature. I have little good to say about entirely recreated AI articles pr imagery which borrows (frankly, steals) so heavily from our lived experiences but cannot recreate any of it meaningfully.

So what’s the point? More and more our lives are being exposed to artifice, but what we crave is relatable, authentic, shared moments.

The lesson is pretty simple – family photographs, weddings, engagements, parties, travel adventures are all part of those times that sit in our individual and collective memory. Lots of those times deserve to be authentically remembered – whether that is through audio, video, stills or diaries.

Those times recognise life and love, and if not for ourselves, then for the recorded memory for our children and grandchildren.

We have to seriously question whether things are important enough to fake, but it’s always true to suggest that our lived reality is vastly more valuable.

Ai will help today, but each iteration and each output will literally get less and less valuable as time goes on. It’ll be like dumping plastics in our natural environment – the diminishing returns of artificial intelligence.

The complete opposite effect occurs with our own histories. What we record today mightn’t “feel” valuable, but it absolutely gains value over time, to the degree that it’s often described as priceless. Those moments and memories are impossible to replicate.

For me, the photographic memories of our children affirm the memories of standing on the rocks, feeling the breeze, hearing the spray crashing down, chatting with each of them, and watching the sunset over Terrigal.