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"It's a whole new world out there and AI is going to destroy photography as we know it." At least that what we're hearing from the frantic naysayers. But is that really what's on the horizon? Read on to see what one top pro thinks about the so-called looming disaster.

David Bergman is a very successful photographer based in New York, specializing in sports, celebrity portraits, and concert photography. He always keeps abreast of the latest trends, so we were eager to get his view of this recent and rather emotional debate and hear his predictions for the future.

This discussion is a response to a fan who posted a question about AI on Bergman's Q&A website—aptly named "Ask David Bergman." He says he's lived through a bunch of big technical innovations throughout his 30-year career, and his view is that "AI not as scary as it seems."

The difference today, according to Bergman, it this: "AI isn't evolutionary, it's revolutionary." With so many aspects of our craft changing almost overnight, Bergman insists that, like it or not, professional photographers need to adapt if they want to survive.

Bergman defines AI like this: "The term artificial intelligence is a catchall for many automated learning technologies, that was first coined in the 1950's." While the technology has been evolving for decades, Bergman says the biggest changes have occurred just in the last year or two—at least as pertains to photography.

He asked ChatGPT, the AI-powered language model, to define artificial intelligence, and the response he received is both is detailed and extensive. So what does this have to do with photography? Bergman notes that "AI has been creeping into photography for a while, and "has really picked up steam recently."

He points to Photoshop's new Generative Fill features as one prime example of amazing technologies that will forever change how images are created. He also notes that the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR, introduced back in 2020, included a deep-learning database built into the autofocus system.

We're not going to be a buzzkill by revealing how Bergman feels about AI today, and what he envisions for the future. You'll have to watch the video for that. Let's just say it's an interesting and provocative presentation that you don't want to miss.

You can see more queries and answers by visiting the Ask David Bergman website, and even pose a question of your own.

We also encourage you to read the recent story posted by our in-house AI afficionado, explaining Adobe's exciting new Generative Expand feature.