Why Your AI Art Isn't Selling (and never will)

Summary

This video discusses the pitfalls of relying on AI for quick monetary gains, using the example of a Sci-Fi author who made minimal profit writing 97 books with AI. It contrasts this with the importance of building a brand, drawing parallels to the success of Nintendo and the decline of Amazon's print-on-demand service due to saturation. The speaker emphasizes that genuine brand building, not AI shortcuts, leads to lasting success and customer connection.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video discusses a Sci-Fi author who used AI to write 97 books and earned nearly $2000, but the actual hourly rate was quite low.
• 🤖 The allure of AI is presented as a siren song, with many online tutorials promising wealth through AI-generated content, which is often unrealistic.
• 💡 The speaker shares a personal story about a t-shirt design conference and the pitfalls of a low-barrier-to-entry business model like Amazon's Merch by Amazon.
• 💰 The initial success of Merch by Amazon led to market saturation, with many people trying to make money without investing in quality, leading to diminishing returns.
• 🚫 The speaker emphasizes the importance of not coasting on other people's brands and the need to build one's own brand for lasting success.
• 🛍️ The video mentions a man who successfully used Merch by Amazon by hiring real designers and securing licensing deals, showing that investment can lead to success.
• 🏆 The concept of 'brand' is explored as more than just a logo; it's the sum of all experiences people have had with the content, work, art, or products.
• 🎮 The power of the Nintendo brand is highlighted as an example of positive experiences building strong brand loyalty over time.
• 📈 The speaker predicts that the market for AI-generated content will become saturated and mostly filled with low-quality work, devaluing individual contributions.
• 🎨 For artists, building a brand involves sharing their process and story, which can lead to followers and sales beyond just the aesthetic appeal of their art.
• 📈 The importance of providing value and creating something people want is underscored, rather than relying solely on technology to produce work.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is the discussion of the unrealistic expectations people have about making money using AI, specifically in the context of writing books and creating art.

What is the author's perspective on using AI to write 97 books and make nearly two thousand dollars?

The author views this as an unrealistic goal and criticizes the low hourly rate of 2.94 cents, which is the result of the time spent on each book.

What is the example given about the print on demand service by Amazon?

The example discusses how the initial success of using Amazon's print on demand service led to market saturation, resulting in a decrease in income for those participating in the service.

What was the impact of market saturation on the print on demand service?

Market saturation led to a decrease in income for those using the service, as Amazon started de-prioritizing their content to keep search results relevant.

What did the author learn from the conference about designing t-shirts?

The author learned that building a personal brand is more important than coasting on other people's brands, and that it requires investment and effort to be successful.

What is the author's view on the future of content created using AI?

The author predicts that the amount of content created using AI will skyrocket and most of it will be of low quality, leading to a saturated and less valuable market.

What does the author suggest is the key to building a successful brand?

The author suggests that building a successful brand involves creating a positive cumulative experience for consumers, which includes the content, work, art, and products offered.

How does the author relate the success of the Mario movie to brand building?

The author relates the success of the Mario movie to the strong brand of Nintendo, which was built on a series of positive experiences, and not just the quality of the movie itself.

What is the author's opinion on the value of content created using AI without a strong brand?

The author believes that content created using AI without a strong brand is essentially worthless, as it lacks the connection and trust that a well-established brand provides.

What is the role of Squarespace in the video script?

Squarespace is the sponsor of the video and is presented as an all-in-one platform for building a website and selling products, emphasizing the importance of having a strong online presence for brand building.

What advice does the author give for those looking to make a living through their art or content creation?

The author advises to focus on building a personal brand and creating content that offers a unique and valuable experience, rather than trying to quickly profit from AI-generated content.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 AI and the Illusion of Easy Money

The first paragraph discusses the allure of using AI to generate income effortlessly. It starts with a mention of a Sci-Fi author who has purportedly written 97 books with the help of AI, earning nearly $2,000. The narrator then calculates the dismal hourly rate this represents and criticizes the abundance of online content promising wealth through AI, suggesting it's unrealistic. The paragraph uses the example of Merch by Amazon, a print-on-demand service that initially allowed sellers to profit significantly but became saturated, leading to decreased earnings. The narrator emphasizes the importance of building a genuine brand rather than relying on others' intellectual property for quick gains.

05:01

🎨 Building a Brand Over Quick Profits

The second paragraph focuses on the importance of brand building over seeking quick profits. It uses the Nintendo brand as an example of how consistent positive experiences create brand loyalty. The narrator shares personal insights from his career, emphasizing that genuine brand building takes time and effort. He contrasts his approach of creating valuable content with those who might use AI to mass-produce low-quality content. The paragraph also touches on the value of an artist's personal story and the connection it creates with their audience, suggesting that simply using AI to produce work doesn't foster the same connection. The narrator concludes by reiterating that technology will always evolve, but the desire for quality content that people genuinely want remains constant.

Keywords

💡AI-generated content

AI-generated content refers to works such as books, art, and other digital products created using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT or MidJourney. In the video, the speaker discusses the growing trend of using AI to produce content quickly and the saturation of the market as a result. The speaker cautions that while it's possible to create a large volume of content with AI, the quality and value of this content are often low, leading to a poor return on investment and a potential dilution of one's brand.

💡Brand building

Brand building is the process of creating and nurturing a recognizable and trusted identity for a person, company, or product. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of building a strong, unique brand rather than relying on AI to mass-produce content. The speaker argues that a strong brand is built over time through consistent quality and positive customer experiences, using examples like Nintendo and the Mario movie to illustrate how decades of positive experiences contributed to the brand's power.

💡Merch by Amazon

Merch by Amazon is a print-on-demand service that allows users to create and sell custom-designed products, such as t-shirts, without managing inventory or shipping. The video recounts how this service initially provided an easy way to make money with little overhead, but the market quickly became oversaturated. As a result, the speaker points out that the easy money disappeared, and only those who invested in quality design and branding, rather than relying on shortcuts, continued to succeed.

💡Market saturation

Market saturation occurs when a market becomes flooded with a particular type of product, making it difficult for individual sellers to stand out or make significant profits. The speaker discusses how the AI and print-on-demand markets are becoming saturated with low-quality content, making it harder for creators to make money. This concept is critical in the video as it serves as a warning against relying on trends that have low barriers to entry and are quickly overwhelmed with competition.

💡Arbitrage

Arbitrage in the context of the video refers to the practice of buying products at a low price and reselling them at a higher price, often through platforms like Amazon. The speaker mentions how many entrepreneurs at the conference were focused on arbitrage, but when it came to design, they lacked the skills to create original, high-quality products. This underscores the video's theme that relying on shortcuts like arbitrage may not lead to sustainable success.

💡Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement involves using someone else's intellectual property, such as brand names, logos, or designs, without permission. The video mentions how some people in the print-on-demand industry attempted to profit by creating t-shirts that mimicked famous brands or characters without authorization. This practice is not only illegal but also undermines the speaker's argument for the importance of building a genuine brand with original content.

💡Quality vs. quantity

Quality vs. quantity is a central theme in the video, where the speaker contrasts the value of producing high-quality, meaningful content versus churning out large volumes of low-quality work. The video argues that while AI and other technologies make it easy to produce a lot of content quickly, this approach often results in poor returns and does not contribute to building a strong, lasting brand. Instead, the speaker advocates for focusing on quality to create a positive and enduring impact on customers.

💡Get-rich-quick schemes

Get-rich-quick schemes refer to plans or strategies that promise easy and fast financial gain with minimal effort. The speaker critiques the notion that AI tools or print-on-demand services can lead to substantial earnings with little work. The video uses the example of someone earning just 2.94 cents per hour after producing 97 AI-generated books, illustrating the false promise of quick wealth through such methods and reinforcing the need for building real value over time.

💡Customer experience

Customer experience encompasses all interactions a customer has with a brand, product, or service, which collectively shape their perception and loyalty. The speaker emphasizes that a strong brand is built through consistently positive customer experiences, rather than through mass production of content. For example, the speaker references Nintendo's success, which is largely attributed to the brand’s ability to deliver what customers expect and enjoy, thus fostering long-term loyalty.

💡Sponsorship

Sponsorship is the financial support of content creators or events in exchange for promotion of the sponsor’s products or services. The video begins and ends with a mention of Squarespace, the sponsor of the content. This sponsorship is used to illustrate how creators can monetize their content by partnering with brands, but it also serves as a contrast to the theme of building a genuine, valuable brand through one's own efforts rather than relying solely on external financial support.

Highlights

A Sci-Fi author has written 97 books using chat GPT and earned nearly two thousand dollars.

The author spends six to eight hours per book, averaging 2.94 cents an hour.

YouTube is flooded with videos on making money using AI for various creative endeavors.

Making a lot of money using AI is presented as unrealistic and counterproductive.

The story of a conference about designing t-shirts and the rise of Amazon's print on demand service.

The initial success and subsequent saturation of the print on demand market due to low barriers to entry.

The impact of saturation on the quality and earnings of print on demand products.

The importance of building a brand rather than just leveraging AI for quick gains.

A personal anecdote about the value of building a brand over relying on others' brand recognition.

The prediction that AI-generated content will increase dramatically and likely be of poor quality.

The definition of a brand as a culmination of every experience a person has had with a creator's content.

The success of the Mario movie as an example of brand power rather than cinematic quality.

The contrast between quick AI-generated content and the value of building a personal brand over time.

The importance of creating content that people actually want and the role of personal experience in building a brand.

The role of social media in showcasing an artist's process and building a following.

The value of personal connection and story in selling art and products at conventions.

The sponsor Squarespace's all-in-one platform for building a brand and selling products online.

Squarespace's features for building an online store, accepting payments, and analyzing customer data.

The offer for a free trial and a discount on the first purchase of a website or domain on Squarespace.

Transcripts

this video is sponsored by Squarespace

the all-in-one platform for building

your brand and growing your business

online stay tuned until the end of the

video to learn more in this Newsweek

article we learn about a Sci-Fi author

who has written 97 books using chat GPT

and has made nearly two thousand dollars

doing it I would like to make two

thousand dollars doing almost nothing

digging in a little deeper takes them

six to eight hours per book so let's say

seven hours times 97 books that's two

thousand dollars that equals 2.94 cents

an hour this is the siren song of AI my

YouTube recommendations are chock full

of videos on how to make money using AI

write a novel sell art create coloring

books pretend to kidnap someone so if

you came to this video hoping to make a

lot of money using AI I have some bad

news for you it's not a realistic goal

and you're doing it all backwards Story

Time several years back I got invited to

speak at a conference about designing

t-shirts I gave a little design 101

presentation to a room full of

entrepreneurs small business folks I I

had a blast the event was focused on a

new service at the time it was called

merch by Amazon it was a print on demand

service it's still around but at the

time it was just getting started and at

that time it was only open to a small

number of people most of whom were

already selling on Amazon so many of the

folks that I met there were really

steeped in things like Arbitrage Drop

Shipping reselling but not design so

when Amazon started offering this new

service to them they immediately

recognized the opportunity they could

upload t-shirts and Designs onto Amazon

and they had no overhead we're talking

no inventory there were no printing

costs and they could get those shirts in

front of millions and millions of

Amazon's customers at no cost and the

people that I met there were making bank

we're talking tens of thousands of

dollars a month mad mad cash for very

little work and at the time of the event

Amazon was starting to roll out access

to more and more of the public they were

really starting to open it up so for the

next few weeks and months the bottom

completely fell out of the market

Amazon's site was just inundated with

people cranking out t-shirts you could

search for an air conditioner and you

would get some dude's air conditioner

t-shirt in the results people gaming the

system left and right some just

completely disregarding copyright now as

the site grew it seemed like the main

way most people were making money was

coasting off of someone else's brand

without getting caught t-shirts that

looked like Crayola crayons without

using the brand name Sports t-shirts

using team colors and the city name

without mentioning the team or using

their logo slightly misspelled names of

popular characters in your description

tags and as these spam t-shirts flooded

the site Amazon started de-prioritizing

their print on demand content to keep

their search results more relevant and

the amount of money people were making

with print on demand on Amazon kept

going down and down and down the problem

was with no barrier to entry anyone and

everyone could give it a shot they could

try to make money on the service and

everyone who tried it made about I don't

know two dollars 94 cents an hour this

doesn't it mean that if you're using

merch by Amazon you won't make money I

met a guy there who hired real designers

they made his shirts and then he worked

out some licensing deals with folks like

NASA and Harley Davidson and they made

real t-shirts to sell on Amazon and and

he was doing really well uh but that

cost money yeah yeah it does but if you

want to run a business you have to you

know run a business my biggest takeaway

from this whole experience and one of

the inflection points of my career was

that I didn't want to Coast on other

people's Brands instead I needed to

build my own brand I'll never make the

next Batman or Mickey Mouse but I don't

have to I'm one guy at the beginning of

this video when I said you're doing it

backwards that's what I meant a book

without a brand is worthless who will

buy it nowadays anybody can use AI to

turn out a bunch of books anyone can use

AI to turn out a bunch of art anyone can

do it so everyone will do it if someone

or 50 people have made videos on how to

use mid Journey to make money that means

that the market is already completely

saturated and it's only going to get

worse I don't know what the future holds

but I feel pretty confident in this

prediction the amount of content that is

going to be made is going to absolutely

Skyrocket and prediction two it will all

be junk when I say build a brand I'm not

talking about just a logo or poorly

drawn Avatar your brand is a culmination

of every experience a person has ever

had with you your content your work your

art your products I grew up with

Nintendo that brand holds so much power

over me it was positive experience after

positive experience after positive

experience that's how you build a brand

the Mario movie didn't set records

because it was a great movie it set

records because it fulfilled exactly

what people wanted and expected from the

Nintendo brand in fact if you're not

familiar with the games that movie is an

absolute mess why did the mushroom make

them small why are they driving go-karts

why is Jack Black so good at writing

dumb songs I love it so much some people

will tell you that it took three weeks

for that movie to make a billion dollars

I'm here here to tell you it took 40

years for that movie to make a billion

dollars think about your career this way

what is 97 chat GPT written books say

about your brand what does a children's

book with air you pumped out last night

say about your brand what experience are

people having with that content do they

want to consume more of it some Brands

like Nintendo entertain they make one

video game at a time getting a little

bit more ambitious and a little bit more

fun with everyone my brand is built on

helping people who are looking to buy a

drawing tablet I could pump out a lot

more videos if I used AI to write my

scripts but my goal is not to spit out

as much information as possible it's to

help people make a buying decision my

brand is built on me just trying out a

lot of products and sharing my honest

experience with that I had to start with

one review and then I wrote another and

then another and another it took time it

took years I wasn't good at that at

first but video after video I got a

little better I got a little better I

started building that brand and it was

not a get rich quick experience at all

artists who learned to draw showed their

process on social media the gain of

following not just from their art but

sharing their experience I know artists

who make a good chunk of their living at

conventions selling their art people buy

art because yes it looks cool but

they're buying into that artist's story

they meet a person at the convention and

they really dig what they're doing you

talk to any artist who works at those

conventions and they will tell you

that's why people buy from them they

want to support that artist that's often

more important than the art itself if

you're just entering text into a prompt

and printing something out anyone can do

that well people at the conventions you

as an artist that they want to support

you or will they see you as someone

who's just trying to cash in well people

at a bookstore see you as an author

trying to entertain them or someone just

trying to cash it what are they

connecting with what is your brand AI

print on demand the web smartphones the

freaking printing press the technology

you is to create our work will always be

changing but the underlying value are

you making something people actually

want never will I have some other videos

on AI specifically around art and

copyright if you want to know my

thoughts on that and this video would

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