Corey Anton is a professor of Communication Studies at Grand Valley State University. In 2023, Anton published a book titled A.EYE CANDY: A Museum of Imaginary Robots and Other Digital Delights, which featured images created by Anton using the artificial intelligence (AI) systems “Stable Diffusion 2.1” and “Clip Interrogator.”

Both programs use what is called “prompt engineering,” a form of artificial intelligence where words, phrases, expressions, styles, genres, etc., are given as either positive prompts, elements you want to see in the final product, or negative prompts, elements not wanted in the final product.

An example of a positive prompt Anton used to create an image is “a unique robot that is creating art while standing upon a wooden table, very realistic, photorealistic character-design.” The negative prompts then included “sketch, comic, cartoon, blurry.” Many of his prompts, both positive and negative, were at times lengthy, complex, and highly elaborate as Anton worked for the exact combination of words needed to create the perfect final image.

While Anton may not describe himself as an artist, he does recognize that others like him, not trained as professional artists, can utilize generative AI systems to create unique images with just a few carefully curated words and phrases.

Explore more artwork by Corey Anton