I Tried Selling AI Art For 30 Days

Jensen Tung
12 Nov 202208:05

TLDRThe video follows a 30-day experiment where the creator explores the potential of selling AI-generated art. They begin by accessing various AI art generators, eventually settling on the open-source Stable Diffusion due to its cost-effectiveness. Despite initial challenges, they successfully sell their first piece and continue to receive orders, adapting their approach based on customer feedback and market trends. The video also touches on the controversy surrounding AI art and its impact on traditional artists, concluding with a modest profit and the potential for an AI art print-on-demand business.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 AI-generated art is created by inputting prompts into AI algorithms, with no human artist involved.
  • 🚀 The experiment involved selling AI-generated art (AI-ART) for 30 days to gauge its market potential.
  • 🌐 Access to AI art generators like Dolly 2, Mid-Journey, and NightCafe requires payment, but Stable Diffusion offers a free, open-source alternative.
  • 💻 Stable Diffusion runs on computers with Nvidia GPUs, which are not common for everyone.
  • 🛠️ The business plan included setting up gigs on Fiverr, targeting various niches with different art styles and pricing.
  • 📈 Initial sales were slow, with no orders and little interest from potential customers.
  • 🤝 Promotion through social media, specifically Dungeons and Dragons Facebook groups, led to some engagement but also criticism from traditional artists.
  • 💬 The debate over AI art's legitimacy and its impact on the artist community was a significant theme.
  • 📦 After a slow start, the first sale came from a metal album cover, followed by a series of orders for anime and emo punk album covers.
  • ✂️ Selling AI art involves more than just generating images; it requires understanding art, crafting prompts, and editing.
  • 💰 Despite the challenges, the experiment resulted in $80 profit over 30 days without any advertising, except for the Facebook post.

Q & A

  • What is the main challenge the protagonist is undertaking in the video?

    -The main challenge is to sell AI-generated art (AI-R) over the course of 30 days and see how much money can be made from these 'masterpieces'.

  • What are some AI art generators mentioned in the video?

    -Dolly 2, Mid-Journey, and NightCafe are mentioned as AI art generators.

  • Why did the protagonist choose Stable Diffusion for generating AI art?

    -Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI art generator that can be installed on a personal computer, allowing for unlimited image generation at no cost.

  • What issue does the protagonist face with Stable Diffusion that they need to overcome?

    -Stable Diffusion is designed to run on computers with an Nvidia GPU, which the protagonist does not have. They overcome this by using a friend's gaming PC with the required GPU.

  • How does the protagonist plan to sell their AI art?

    -The protagonist plans to sell custom AI art on Fiverr, a marketplace for freelance services.

  • What types of AI art does the protagonist offer on Fiverr?

    -The protagonist offers city and landscape concept art, dog portraits, Dungeons and Dragons character and landscape art, heavy metal and rock album covers, and anime and furry character art.

  • What is the business strategy the protagonist followed to create their Fiverr gigs?

    -They followed a one-page business plan template that covers all the central parts needed to start a business, focusing on a niche target market and offering competitive pricing.

  • How did the protagonist promote their AI art services?

    -They promoted their services by posting on Dungeons and Dragons Facebook groups and engaging in self-promotion by commenting on posts from people looking for artists.

  • What was the initial response to the protagonist's AI art from the Facebook group?

    -The initial response was negative, with some members of the Facebook group criticizing AI art as 'not art' and accusing the protagonist of stealing from real artists.

  • How many orders did the protagonist receive after 30 days of trying to sell AI art?

    -After 30 days, the protagonist received a total of eight orders from seven customers.

  • What was the total profit made by the protagonist after fees from Fiverr's sales?

    -The total profit made, after fees from Fiverr's sales, was eighty dollars.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 AI Art Creation and Sales Experiment

The video script describes an experiment where the creator aims to sell AI-generated art (AI-AR) for 30 days. The creator uses various AI art generators like Dolly 2, Mid-journey, and Night Cafe, but finds costs prohibitive for mass production. They switch to Stable Diffusion, an open-source AI-AR generator, to reduce costs. The creator partners with Daniel, who has an Nvidia GPU, to generate AI art. They devise a business plan to sell custom AI art on Fiverr, targeting specific markets with various art styles. Despite initial challenges and negative responses from some traditional artists, they eventually secure their first sale and continue to receive orders, learning that selling AI art requires more than just generating images—it involves understanding customer requests and editing skills. By the end of the challenge, they made $80, excluding fees, from eight orders.

05:00

🚀 Overcoming Obstacles in AI Art Venture

In this paragraph, the creator reflects on the challenges faced during the AI art experiment, including negative reactions from traditional artists who view AI art as a threat to their livelihood. The creator draws parallels with the lace-making industry's response to technological advancements in the past. They adapt their strategy by changing their offerings on Fiverr and finding new ways to promote their services. Eventually, they secure their first order for an album cover that represents the mood of a song, which requires both AI art generation and manual editing. The video ends with a positive note, as they receive multiple orders for different types of AI art, proving that there is a market for their services despite initial setbacks.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI-generated art

AI-generated art refers to the creation of visual artwork through artificial intelligence, where the AI is programmed to produce images based on certain prompts or data inputs. In the video, the creator uses AI to generate paintings and other art forms, which they then attempt to sell online. This concept is central to the video's theme, as it explores the potential of AI in the art market and the challenges faced in selling such digital creations.

💡Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI art generator that can be installed on a personal computer, allowing users to generate unlimited images for free. It is mentioned in the video as a cost-effective alternative to other AI art generators that require payment for usage. The use of Stable Diffusion illustrates the video's focus on exploring different AI tools for art creation and the economic considerations involved.

💡Fiverr

Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services, where individuals can offer their skills for hire in various categories, including custom art. In the context of the video, the creator uses Fiverr to set up gigs (service offerings) for selling AI-generated art, targeting different niche markets. Fiverr serves as the platform for the business experiment conducted in the video, showcasing the potential and challenges of selling digital art online.

💡Business plan

A business plan is a strategic document that outlines the objectives, strategies, and financial projections of a business. In the video, the creator follows a one-page business plan template to organize their approach to selling AI-generated art on Fiverr. The business plan is essential to the video's narrative as it provides structure to the creator's efforts and helps them focus on the key aspects of starting and running their online art business.

💡Pricing strategy

Pricing strategy refers to the process of setting prices for products or services, often taking into account factors like production costs, market demand, and competition. In the video, the creator sets different prices for various levels of their art services, from basic to premium packages, as part of their strategy to attract customers on Fiverr. The pricing strategy is crucial to the video's theme as it reflects the creator's attempt to find a balance between affordability and profitability in the digital art market.

💡Marketing and promotion

Marketing and promotion involve strategies used to increase awareness, interest, and sales of a product or service. In the video, the creator attempts to promote their AI art services by posting in Dungeons and Dragons Facebook groups and engaging with potential customers directly. The concept is key to the video's storyline as it highlights the challenges of marketing digital art in a competitive online environment and the need to be proactive in reaching out to potential buyers.

💡AI art controversy

The AI art controversy refers to the debate surrounding the authenticity, originality, and ethical implications of AI-generated artwork. In the video, this controversy is exemplified by the backlash the creator receives from traditional artists who view AI art as unoriginal or as stealing from human artists. The AI art controversy is a significant aspect of the video's narrative, as it addresses the broader societal questions about the role of technology in creative fields.

💡Adaptation to technology

Adaptation to technology refers to the process of adjusting to new technological tools and methods, often in response to changes in an industry or market. In the video, the creator views AI art as a tool in an artist's arsenal, similar to Photoshop or drawing tablets, and suggests that artists must adapt to new technologies to remain relevant. This concept is integral to the video's message, as it encourages embracing innovation and adaptability in the face of technological advancements.

💡Online marketplace challenges

Online marketplace challenges pertain to the difficulties faced by sellers in digital platforms, such as competition, visibility, and establishing trust with customers. In the video, the creator experiences these challenges as a new seller on Fiverr with no reviews, struggling to attract customers and facing slow initial progress. This keyword encapsulates the video's exploration of the realities of starting a business in an online marketplace and the perseverance required to succeed.

💡Customer requests

Customer requests refer to the specific demands or preferences that clients have when purchasing a product or service. In the video, the creator must cater to customer requests for AI-generated art, which involves crafting descriptive prompts and selecting appropriate images to match the client's vision. This keyword is central to the video's theme as it underscores the personalized nature of the art-selling process, even when using AI.

💡Digital art sales

Digital art sales involve the buying and selling of artwork in a digital format, typically through online platforms. The video's main theme revolves around the creator's experiment with selling AI-generated digital art on Fiverr, exploring the potential revenue and the challenges of operating in the digital art market. This keyword is crucial as it encompasses the video's core focus on the commercial viability of AI-generated art and the strategies used to facilitate sales.

Highlights

The video explores the use of AI in creating art by typing prompts and clicking a button.

The AI art pieces are generated using AI art generators such as Dolly 2, mid-journey, and nightCafe.

Stable diffusion is an open-source AI art generator that can be installed on a computer to create unlimited images for free.

AI art generators typically require an Nvidia GPU to run efficiently.

The video creator plans to sell AI-generated art (AI art) on Fiverr, a marketplace for freelance services.

Five different types of art gigs are created on Fiverr, targeting various niche markets.

A business plan template is used to organize and focus the new venture, provided by the video sponsor, HubSpot.

After a week, the Dungeons and Dragons art and anime art gigs are the most popular, but no sales have been made.

A missed opportunity for a metal album cover sale due to an email being marked as spam.

Promotion of AI art through Facebook groups leads to controversy and debate about the legitimacy of AI-generated art.

The video creator receives a private message of support from someone who understands the potential of AI in art.

The lace-making industry's history is brought up as a comparison to the current resistance to AI in art.

After being removed from a Facebook group, the video creator continues to not receive any messages and decides to change up the gigs on Fiverr.

The first sale is made for an emo punk album cover after a two-hour process of finding the right prompt and image.

The video creator emphasizes that selling AI art involves more than just clicking a button, requiring art knowledge and editing skills.

By the end of the 30-day challenge, eight orders were received from seven customers, earning $80 minus Fiverr's fees.

The video concludes with a suggestion to invest profits into starting an AI art print-on-demand business.