Github Copilot, DALL-E 2, and ChatGPT — whether you’ve heard of them or not, these artificial intelligence (AI) tools could be the next thing your business needs.

What can AI tools create?

Using AI for Code

For many of us, learning how to code is a daunting task. But today, there are tools that will help you auto-complete your code, which you can then use to automate mundane tasks such as logging information, running automated tests, and creating reports.

One of the most popular tools is Github Copilot, which completes your code for you based on what you previously wrote, helps users run code tests automatically, and provides feedback on code readability.

A free GitHub Copilot subscription is available to students, teachers, and people who maintain popular repositories on GitHub. It is also available to all users for US$10 (S$13.50) a month.

Using AI for Text

AI can be used to automatically generate content, such as blog posts, product descriptions, and website copy. It can also be used in chatbots to manage conversations with customers, so that you do not need to hire as many customer service representatives.

RYTR uses GPT3 technology, a type of AI language tool, to automatically create written content. Their free plan allows access to all use cases and features, but there is a 10,000 characters (roughly 2,000 to 4,000 words) limit a month.

Smart Copy’s free plan allows access to all features, but users can only generate five pieces of content per day.

Another option is copy.ai, which has no limit to the number of times you can generate text and allows you to produce up to 100 copies for free for the first month. But the number of pieces you can produce for free from the second month onwards will be limited.

Using AI for art

AI can now be used to generate art, which will save you tons on your marketing budget, and free up time for your marketers and designers to focus on other tasks. Text-to-image AI can also be used to create product mockups.

Google’s AutoDraw uses machine learning to convert users’ sketches into professional-looking drawings. It has been used by businesses to create advertising materials. Deep Dream Generator is another free Google AI software that generates artwork from images.

Made with DeepDream Generator

With OpenAI’s Dall-E-2, you can create images using a text prompt, create variations of one image, and edit an image by using a text prompt. DALL·E 2 offers 50 free credits for the first month, and 15 free credits every subsequent month. Users can buy more credits if they want to generate more images, and you can use the  images commercially whether you paid for it or not.

Another option is the open-source Stable Diffusion, which is free to use and allows you to use the images commercially.

Images using the prompt  “belongs to you”. Made with Stable Diffusion

If you have a bigger budget, you could use Midjourney, which only allows you to use their images commercially if you are a paid member. Their corporate membership costs US$600 (S$810) a year.

AI Music Generators:

Music generators can create custom soundtracks for video games, commercials, and other multimedia projects.

Jukebox is a free, open source tool made by OpenAI that allows you to create music in various genres and styles. You can edit and customise the music you create. Listen to Jukebox’s composition samples to get an idea of its capabilities.

Melobytes is another free software that offers ways to create unique music tracks. You can customise the music style, tempo, language, singer gender, and lyrics. You can also adjust the vocal settings, audio parameters, and video preferences. To make your music even more special, you can add various effects, such as echoes and reverbs. You can even generate a music video with the song.

Shutterstock’s Amper Music generates music in any style and length. Amper is free to use, but obtaining the licence for use is not. It costs between US$5 (S$6.75) a song for personal use, to US$499 (S$674) for one that you plan to use for an online advertisement.

AI Video Editors:

These video generators create short clips for advertisements, product demos, and educational videos for you.

Magenta Studio is a Google video-editing tool that comes up with videos from still images.

Magisto creates videos automatically from user-uploaded photos and videos. It provides three tiers of pricing with a premium plan (US$9.99/mo or S$13.50/mo), a professional plan (US$19.99/mo or S$27/mo), and a business plan (US$69.99/mo or S$95/mo).

Lumen5 produces videos from existing media quickly and easily. It can be used to create promotional videos, explainer videos, and video content for social media posts. Monthly subscriptions include the starter plan at US$29 (S$40) a month. There is also a premium plan for US$79 (S$107) a month, and a business plan for US$199 (S$269) a month.

Whether these tools are free or require a subscription, they would still ultimately save you money on hiring a content production team, and be especially helpful if you run a small business on a tight budget.

Is it legal?

Before you start, you need to know the legal implications of commercialising the AI-generated work. Most open-source softwares offer licences that allow you to use the content commercially.

For example, OpenAI’s DALL·E 2 gives users the right to reprint, sell, and merchandise the image they pick, but users must only create images that are G-rated that don’t cause harm to anyone. They must also clearly indicate that images are AI-generated and attribute them to OpenAI.

While there are generally no laws on crediting AI, it’s generally considered good practice to cite any sources used in the creation of your article. This ensures you are protected from plagiarism claims as well.

How these tools can help your business

If you need business advice, try OpenAI’s ChatGPT. You ask the software a question, and it often responds with paragraphs of suggestions. It is up to you whether you find what it says useful.

AI also helps you to generate content quickly and accurately, whether its written copies or advertising logos. Besides saving you time and the effort to come up with creative ideas from scratch, it takes away the cost of having to hire writers, videographers, and graphic designers too. 

Made using DALL-E

Limitations of AI Tools

As AI models are trained with old data fed to it, sometimes the output is not accurate or may be outdated. AI models may also miss important details or generate content that is not what you want. Some of these tools require programming knowledge too.

Several companies have also banned the use of AI-generated content. For example, Getty Images stopped allowing users to upload and sell illustrations generated through AI art tools as the company is concerned with “unaddressed rights issues with respect to the imagery, the image metadata and those individuals contained within the imagery”. StackOverflow, a forum popular among programmers, banned users from uploading answers created by ChatGPT.

And as much as computers can try and interpret your prompts, much of the work you do may still require the human touch that can give unique perspectives and images.

Conclusion

AI can be a great tool for businesses to cut cost, time, and effort to come up with creative content. However, AI is still in its early stages, and it still requires people like you and me to have the final say, and decide whether the content generated is relevant and useful.

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