Overview
AI image generators can create new images based on your inputs. At their best, they can create and iterate on eye-catching content quickly, giving you the potential to scale your content program or add more flexibility to your current content efforts.
The output viability of these tools depends on the comfort levels of you and your organization: The higher comfort your organization has with using images that are visibly AI-generated, the greater the number of use cases available for you. This guide covers the primary use cases and limitations of the best AI image generators we tested, with a particular focus on our favorite: the FLUX image generator, which we recommend accessing through Krea AI for most use cases.
Check out our guide for using FLUX for campaign images
Use Cases
The applicability of these use cases will depend on your organization’s comfort level with AI-generated images:
Social Media Content Generation
- Best tool: FLUX, especially for images with words
- Use cases:
- Create eye-catching graphics for social media posts
- Design custom memes and sharable content
- Generate green screen images for direct-to-camera videos
- Create images that can be used as b-roll in videos
- How it helps: AI can quickly produce a variety of visuals tailored to different social media platforms, allowing campaigns to maintain a high volume of posting and engaging presence on social media. It allows campaigners to create highly stylized images as a part of rapid response to news events and trending topics in places where traditional stock photography might fall short.
Design Inspiration
- Best tool: Any tool, though FLUX has the fewest political restrictions
- Use cases:
- Generate multiple visual concepts for campaign themes
- Explore diverse artistic styles for campaign aesthetics
- Create mood boards to guide overall visual direction
- How it helps: AI can quickly generate a wide range of visual ideas, helping to spark creativity and explore directions that human designers might not immediately consider.
Tools
While we recommend using FLUX through a platform like Krea AI for AI image generation, here’s a comparison between it and our other top tool (DALL-E) for reference:
FLUX
- Best for: Organizations comfortable with more visibly AI-generated content
- Key Feature: Excellent text rendering; no restrictions on political content use when used through Krea AI or Grok. (Note: If you use FLUX through Replicate by Black Forest Labs, there are some political use restrictions).
- Limitations: While this was the only tool we tested that could render text, that ability still comes with limits:
- It will only render text that’s explicitly specified: Generating an image of a prescription bottle of a certain medication will correctly render the title, but it will render gibberish where it knows there should be more details.
- The more detail requested, the worse it is at rendering: Rendering a whole shelf of cans with prices, for example, is difficult to do accurately, even if you specify specific prices in your prompt.
Because FLUX is an open-source tool, you can access it a number of ways: Krea AI, Replicate, and Grok. Krea AI is the best option unless you require the use of a “seed image” to create a series of images in one consistent visual style, in which case we recommend Replicate. Grok’s interface is easy to use but requires a paid subscription to X, which may be a deterrent to organizations in the progressive space.
DALL-E 3
- Best for: Teams new to AI image generation
- Key Feature: User-friendly interface through ChatCPT
- Limitations: Has much stricter restrictions for political use; requires a paid subscription to ChatGPT.
Key Considerations for Political Campaigns
Before integrating AI-generated images into your work, consider these important factors:
Limitations and Risks:
- Inconsistent Quality: Results can vary widely, even with similar inputs. Give yourself time to experiment and iterate to reach your ideal result.
- Limited Control: Precise control over details can be challenging. If your organization has strict brand and style guidelines, consider adding in brand elements on top of generated images instead of trying to fold them into our generation.
- Text and Typography Issues: FLUX is the only tool we tested that could consistently handle text. Every other tool we tested struggled with accurate text rendering.
- Potential for Bias: AI models may perpetuate societal biases present in their training data. Make sure to review each output with that lens, particularly when generating images specifying particular demographics. Include diverse stakeholders in reviewing outputs and deciding when AI will be used.
- Copyright and Disclaimers: The legal status of AI-generated images is still evolving, and there is a patchwork of laws that govern use of AI-generated images in paid communications. At the bare minimum, we recommend including a disclaimer reading, “This (image/audio/video) has been generated by or manipulated with AI” and avoiding any AI-generated images of real people (candidates, voters, etc.). Consult a lawyer before using AI-generated images for any paid effort.
- Photorealism Considers: AI struggles with consistently producing photorealistic images. Even in cases where it can successfully produce photorealistic content, it’s important to consider the ethical considerations around using an AI-generated image over a stock photo.
Best Practices for Political Use:
- Start with Low-Stakes Applications: Begin using AI-generated images in contexts like social media posts or internal brainstorming before moving to more prominent uses.
- Maintain Transparency: Be open about the use of AI in your creative process when appropriate.
- Keep Human Review: Always have human team members review and approve AI-generated content. This is crucial for maintaining message accuracy and brand consistency.
- Use as Inspiration: Leverage AI-generated images as starting points for human designers rather than final products. This allows you to combine AI ideas with human creativity for unique results.
- Respect Artist Labor: Position AI tools as aids to human creativity, not replacements for artists. AI is not very good at originality, so while AI can help augment the capacity of resource-strapped campaigns, it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for humans. Consider involving human designers in the refinement of AI-generated concepts.
- Leverage for Timeliness: Use AI’s speed to your advantage, particularly for responding quickly to current events or trending topics on social media.
- Explore Diverse Styles: Use AI to quickly explore a broader range of visual styles, potentially uncovering unique aesthetics for your campaign.
Conclusion
AI-generated images offer exciting possibilities for political campaigns, particularly in rapid ideation and creating eye-catching content for social media. However, their use should be tailored to your organization’s comfort level and the specific needs of each project.
As you integrate these tools into your workflow, prioritize transparency, respect for artist labor, and a clear understanding of where AI-generated images are most appropriate. Remember that while AI can significantly enhance your creative process, the unique insights and nuanced understanding that human creators bring to political messaging remain invaluable.
Follow Higher Ground Labs’ blog or subscribe to AI newsletters like The Rundown to stay informed about the evolving capabilities and limitations of AI image generation. Continually reassess how these tools can best serve your campaign’s goals and values.
Resources
Practical guides for content creators:
