Building Knowledge, One at a Time - Part II

 

Source: Samuel Spencer, PPT Slides

One of the most fascinating things I came across in this lecture was a slide discussing “the future trends in data and why documentation remains more important than Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what struck me the most was how this slide encouraged me to think beyond the obvious.

The moment I saw it, I couldn’t stop analyzing it—processing each detail, trying to understand the connection between the topic and the three images on the slide. As a photographer, I found each picture visually striking, and they sparked deeper thoughts and emotions, from simple observations to more complex reasoning.

The Clock at 8:13

The first image showed a wall clock displaying 8:13. At first look, it's just a clock on a wall, symmetrical and visually appealing. But when AI was asked to generate an image of a clock at 8:13, it created one showing 10:10 instead. Why? Because clock manufacturers typically set their product images to 10:10—it makes the clock hands look balanced and aesthetically pleasing. AI, lacking its own understanding or real-world context, followed the pattern it had learned instead of fulfilling the exact request.

The Half-Filled Wine Glass

The second image was of a half-filled glass of wine, even though the prompt was for a full glass. Again, AI didn’t truly comprehend the request because it doesn’t have its own context—it just generates what it thinks is the best match based on available data. Interestingly, when I searched for "wine glass" images on Google, almost all of them showed half-filled glasses. Why? Because in photography and society, a half-filled glass is seen as a responsible way to present wine—it looks elegant and balanced in composition. A full glass, on the other hand, is rarely photographed, as it doesn’t carry the same aesthetic or cultural meaning.

The Room Without an Elephant

The last image was more philosophical. The AI was given a prompt for a room without an elephant, and it generated... just a regular room. Of course, almost every room in the world doesn’t have an elephant in it, so taking a photo of one seems pointless. AI simply followed logic, assuming the most obvious solution. But from a photographic view, the image was well-framed, with a thoughtful arrangement of objects—exactly how a human photographer would compose a shot.

The Bigger Lesson

This experience taught me something profound: thinking beyond the obvious is essential. There are endless possibilities and perspectives, and while AI is improving rapidly, documentation remains critical. AI only learns from existing patterns—it doesn’t truly understand meaning the way humans do. That’s why proper documentation and human reasoning will always be more important than AI-generated information.

I shall continue to put down my thoughts and feelings through my writing on this page.